Hi,

Source:BBC News

Tuesday, 26 April, 2005

The US chief weapons inspector, Charles Duelfer, has said inquiries into weapons of mass destruction in Iraq have "gone as far as feasible".

Mr Duelfer also said an official transfer of WMDs to Syria ahead of the Iraq war was not likely.

The CIA adviser reported last year that neither expected stockpiles of chemical or biological weapons, nor evidence of recent production had been found.

However, he did say Saddam Hussein had wanted to restart WMD programmes.

Terror risk

"After more than 18 months, the WMD investigation and debriefing of the WMD-related detainees has been exhausted," Mr Duelfer, head of the Iraq Survey Group (ISG), wrote in a 92-page addendum to the report issued in October.


IRAQ SURVEY GROUP Set up in May 2003
First leader, David Kay, quit in Jan 2004 stating WMD would not be found in Iraq

New head, Charles Duelfer appointed by CIA

1,200 experts from the US, Britain and Australia HQ in Washington, offices in Baghdad and Qatar

However, Mr Duelfer warned that Iraq's original weapons programme had created a pool of experts whose skills could be sought by other countries or terrorist groups, and that while this risk was presently very small, it should not be ignored.

"The use of a single even an ineffectual chemical weapon would likely cause more terror than deadlier conventional explosives," the supplementary report warned.

Mr Duelfer said that while the ISG believed that it was unlikely that WMD material had been officially moved to Syria in the run up to the war, it was "unable to rule out unofficial movement of limited WMD-related materials".

The US and Britain used allegations that Iraq possessed WMDs as the primary justification for invading Iraq in 2003.

Peace

Originally Posted by SwordFish_13

Hi,

Peace

doesnt this sound a whole lot like the govt is saying, "umm ya the wmds werent there but its a good thing we came in because they were gonna start it soon"?

Strange this interesting topic got so few replies up to now.

This must go as one of history's biggest frauds. If I remember correctly, Hussein allowed UN inspectors to search for WMD's extensively through the whole of Iraq prior to the war and they found nothing. Not sure about that, anyone want to comment?

Originally Posted by Jack_Mordino

Strange this interesting topic got so few replies up to now.

This must go as one of history's biggest frauds. If I remember correctly, Hussein allowed UN inspectors to search for WMD's extensively through the whole of Iraq prior to the war and they found nothing. Not sure about that, anyone want to comment?

Yeah thats why the UN passed those resolutions against Iraq WHEN HE DENIED THE INSPECTION TEAMS ACESS to alot of the sites. But then this has been batted around here before ad nausem.

Originally Posted by Jack_Mordino

Strange this interesting topic got so few replies up to now.

This must go as one of history's biggest frauds. If I remember correctly, Hussein allowed UN inspectors to search for WMD's extensively through the whole of Iraq prior to the war and they found nothing. Not sure about that, anyone want to comment?

I don't know about finding nothing I seem to recall Hans Blix saying they would need another 6 months to complete the job properly and that Iraq was more forthcoming now than previously but certainly he didnt discount finding them.

Originally Posted by Jack_Mordino

Strange this interesting topic got so few replies up to now.

What I find strange is the left's willingness to focus on this subject while virtually ignoring the mass graves of an estimated 400,000 murdered by Saddam, not to mention the torture brought about by that regime.

Not to mention as 03USMC said, this WMD subject has this has been batted around here before ad nausem.

Originally Posted by gladius

What I find strange is the left's willingness to focus on this subject while virtually ignoring the mass graves of an estimated 400,000 murdered by Saddam, not to mention the torture brought about by that regime.

Not to mention as 03USMC said, this WMD subject has this has been batted around here before ad nausem.

And in 10 years he could have moved, sold, or destroyed weapons and evidence.

If he had moved, sold or destroyed the weapons then the case for the war that US/UK have would of gone with them, as the governments claimed the weapons were there and ready to be used.

Originally Posted by gladius

What I find strange is the left's willingness to focus on this subject while virtually ignoring the mass graves of an estimated 400,000 murdered by Saddam, not to mention the torture brought about by that regime.

Not to mention as 03USMC said, this WMD subject has this has been batted around here before ad nausem.

Whats even stranger is the "rights" desire to ignore that it was the "primary" reason for the war.