What Are the Inspectors Really Looking For?
by: Margot B
Let's take a step back from the fray and examine the real target in Iraq...what are the inspectors really looking for? The answer is: what they have received from the US - the West's own exports - such as dual- use equipment used for manufacturing of weapons of destruction. This was supplied with the blessing of the US Commerce Dept...$1.5-b worth of dual-use goods.
The inspectors have destroyed a good deal of the equipment imported in the 1990s, but much still remains. The West's companies and governments are more guilty than most people remember. Following is a listing of some of the items received from the West:
Nassr State Enterprise - Helped extend the range of Iraq's SCUD missiles so they could strike US troops in Saudi Arabia and Israelis in Tel Aviv.
- Also helped Iraq's secret effort to enrich uranium.
- Machine tools and high-speed computers: Leybold Vacuum Systems, Hewlett Packard (US); Matrix Churchill Ltd., MEED International (UK); Heinrich Mueller GmbH (Germany); International Computer Systems (UK) - Components and know-how for a plant intended for missile production: Anlagen Bau Contor (Germany) - Missile guidance components: Inwako, C. Plath (Germany)
- Equipment to make missile combustion chambers: H&H Metalform, Leifeld and Co. GmbH (Germany)
- Magnets for centrifuges for enriching uranium: Rhein-Bayern Fahrzeugbau GmbH & Co KG (Germany) - Magnets for calutrons for enriching uranium: Voest-Alpine AG (Austria)
- Turbopumps for the engines of SCUD missiles: Thyssen Maschinenbau GmbH (Germany)
- Glass fiber plant useful for making rocket motor casings: Matrix Churchill Corp. (US/UK); Glass Inc. International (US) Al-Qaqaa - Developed explosive lenses for nuclear weapons - High-speed computers: Cerberus, Perkin Elmer Corporation (US) University of Mosul - Site of Iraq's major missile development center
- Research on chemical and nuclear weapons - Equipment for enhancing satellite images: E.Z. Logic Data Systems (US)
- Infrared electronic imaging equipment useful for aerial reconnaissance and missile tracking: International Imaging Systems (US)
- Computers and mass spectrometers useful for nuclear weapon work: Finnigan-MAT (US) Al Kindi - Modification and production of SCUD-B/Al Hussein missiles
- Production of the "supergun"
- Research on missile components and fuel - High-precision coordinate measuring machines: Mauserwerke Oberndorf GmbH, Zeiss, Mauser (Germany) Samarra Drug Industry - Prime production facility for Iraqi mustard gas and nerve agents, according to U.S. intelligence sources
- Reported in 2001 by August Hanning, the director of German intelligence (BND), to be developing new chemical weapons
- Parts for the Samarra chemical weapon complex: Water Engineering Trading (Germany)
- Site construction services: Heberger Bau (Germany)
- Equipment for six separate chemical plants, including facilities and construction components: Karl Kolb and Pilot Plant (Germany)
- Equipment for chemical, physiological and biological analysis (Germany)
- According to Hanning, "important components for the production of poison gas" (Germany)
Hutteen State Establishment - Built testing facility at Iraq's main nuclear weapon development site - Artillery ammunition for chemical payloads: Treblan (Spain)
- High-speed computers: E.Z. Logic Data Systems (US); International Computer Systems (US/UK)
- Machine tools and equipment: Matrix Churchill Ltd., MEED International (UK) Salah al Din - Military electronics factory which produced three- dimensional early warning radars, electronic countermeasures and inertial guidance components
- Also produced equipment for making nuclear weapon fuel - Turn-key factory built by Thomson-CSF (France)
- Lasers, laser systems, and "communication/ detection racking equipment:" Spectra Physics (US)
- Quartz crystals and electronic assemblies for use in radar systems: Zeta Laboratories Inc. (US)
- Frequency synthesizers for developing surveillance radar: Hewlett Packard (US)
Source: www.iraqwatch.org [12.10PM 13 Feb 03] Iraq Watch Bulletin, vol2, Issue 1, Jan-Feb. 203 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Margot B mailto:margotb@authorsden.com Web site=http://www26.brinkster.com/margotb
About the Author
Margot B has written a book plus 100s of articles, specializing in health and the environment. She is a Web site developer with examples at: http://www26.brinkster.com/margotb http://www.freewebs.com/margot http://www.freewebs.com/nuchatlaht |
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