... comes out of Baghdad:
So-called "Chemical Weapons" otherwise known as "Poison Gas", or "Weapons of Mass Destruction were found in the Chemical complex "Muthana", near Baghdad.
After the first Iraq war in 1991 this institution was closed by resolution of the U.N. and later allegedly used for the destruction of all Poison Gas weapons in the vast arsenal of Saddam Hussein.
Latest investigation, however, reveals that bunkers within the Muthana complex were filled with "Sarin rockets", "Mustard Gas" filled artillery projectiles and substances required for the production of Cyanid and Zyklon B.
Now, do you remember in the year 2002, the United Nations, by resolution 1441 required Iraq to cooperate with UN weapon inspectors, who were sent to this country for the express purpose of ascertaining that Iraq was no longer in possession of WMDs.
The Swedish diplomat, Hans Blix was appointed the head of the "United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission".
When Saddam Hussein was "selective" regarding the sites to which he granted access to Blix and his inspectors (Yes, you may inspect this site and that site, but not those 6 sites) , Blix indeed warned Hussein to cease his "cat and mouse game" and threatened serious consequences if Iraq hindered or delayed the inspection process. Several months later, these "off limit" sites were opened up for inspection.
Does it take a great intellect to guess why Saddam successfully played for time on these selected sites?
As one would expect, Blix and his staff found nothing and, in fact, accused the US and the UK of dramatising the threat in order to strengthen the case for an invasion of Iraq.
Why would the US and the UK want to invade Iraq ?
Two reasons were stated:
1.) To secure crude oil supply from this source, and
2.) to prevent the cruel excesses perpetrated by Saddam Hussein upon his own people and upon his neighbours.
Of course, the accusation that the US wanted to secure its oil supply was the preferred stated reason.
The facts are: Iraq produces only 3.75 % of the world's oil production, while the US of A finds about 10% under its own soil, while Russia and Saudi Arabia together pump 26% of the world's production. This surely begs the question: Why would the USA start a costly war, when it could purchase all the oil it needs from Saudi Arabia and other countries, including Iraq? The USA expected that their involvement in Iraq would cost about Sixty Billion US Dollars, The price per barrel of crude in the year 2003 amounted to approximately US$27.00.
Figure out for yourself how many barrels of crude could be bought for 60 Billion dollars.
In fact, the total cost of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars amounted to 2.2 Trillion US dollars.
Maybe there is something to the second point.
Let us examine Saddam Hussein's history in its relations with his own people and his neighbours:
Having become the unofficial leader of Iraq in the mid 1970s, he issued a decree in 1978 that anyone whose ideas were contrary to those of the leaders of the Baath Party, would be summarily executed.
His main targets were Shiite Muslims and ethnic Kurds. Although his own religious group, the Sunnis were only about one third of the population, the other two thirds being made up of Shiites and Kurds.
Ultimately, Saddam was tried for 5 crimes against humanity:
1.) Reprisal against Dujail: As revenge for having his motorcade shot at by a group of militant opponents to his regime, Saddam had 140 fighting age men executed. Another 1,500 other towns people were rounded up and imprisoned. All houses of Dujail were bulldozed.
2.) Anfal Campaign. From March 1978 to May 1979 an effort to exterminate the Kurdish population in Northern Iraq was undertaken. 200,000 Iraqi soldiers attacked the area, rounded up the population (Kurds) and razed villages. Fighting-aged men were shot and buried in mass graves. Women, elderly and children were taken to relocation camps were many of them died.
3.) Chemical Weapons against Kurds. At the beginning of 1987 Iraq used Chemical Weapons against an estimated 40 Kurdish villages. In March of 1988 bombs filled with Mustard Gas and nerve agents were dropped upon the Village of Halabja, killing about 5000 persons
4.) Invasion of Kuwait. 2nd of August 1990 saw Iraq invade Kuwait, producing the six week long Persian Gulf War, during which the US pushed Saddam's troops out of Kuwait.
5.) In 1991 Shiites and Kurds rebelled against Saddam's regime. This rebellion was punished by the killing of thousands of "Marsh Arabs" and destruction of their villages. Ultimately the Iraqis build extensive drainage canals to divert the water from the marshes, thereby destroying the entire habitat of the people.
The above points do not include the eight year war, which was started by Iraq against Iran, during which various kinds of Chemical Weapons were being used by Iraq, producing thousands of victims.
It is estimated that Iran lost more than 50,000 casualties as a result of Iraq's use of Chemical Weapons of Mass Destruction.
Unfortunately it must be admitted, that many of the above atrocities were committed by Hussein initially with the knowledge of the US and the EU
If Rome burnt while Nero fiddled, it must be stated that Iraq drowned in blood, while the World stood by and did nothing.
Earlier on we have listed two reasons for the invasion of Iraq by the USA. I believe that we have adequately discounted the first of the two. This leaves the second reason. Considering that the above listed attrocities commited by Hussein and his gang are but the tip of the iceberg, the second reason moves more and more into the realm of likelyhood.
Bertstravels.
The information for the above article was gleaned by searching the Internet, specifically Wikepedia but also other web sites.
