Powell & Iraq & WMD

Kliphnote: This is a reminder of why we when to war in Iraq.
How is it no one has said Powell lied?
No one said Powell when to war for oil.
Powell is the same one who endorsed Obama.
Obama said the Iraq war was the wrong war and the wrong place.
But never gave a reason.


Powell Presents U.S. Evidence To Security Council; More

Wednesday, February 05, 2003

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell this morning [2-3-2003] made a multimedia presentation at the Security Council of what he called "facts and conclusions based on solid intelligence" that Iraq is deceiving U.N. weapons inspectors and is hiding prohibited weapons of mass destruction.

In a presentation lasting an hour and 20 minutes, Powell played audiotapes, showed satellite photos and quoted intelligence reports that he said demonstrate "an active and systematic effort by the Iraqi regime to keep key materials and individuals" from inspectors. ..................

Powell, who was accompanied by CIA Director George Tenet, played two tapes of intercepted messages between Iraqi officials discussing the removal of prohibited items days before inspections began. On one tape, two men Powell identified as Republican Guards discuss removing the words "nerve agents" from written instructions. Powell showed satellite photos of munitions bunkers at Taji, four of which he described as "active chemical munitions bunkers." He said the photos showed Iraqi trucks clearing out two of the bunkers as inspectors arrived Dec. 22.

Large trucks were also spotted at other sites, he said. "This type of activity spiked" in November as the inspectors prepared to return to Iraq, Powell said. "We saw this type of housecleaning at more than 30 sites."

Powell also accused Iraq of hiding biological weapons. "We know from sources that a missile brigade outside Baghdad was disbursing rocket launchers and warheads containing biological warfare agents to various locations, distributing them to various locations in western Iraq. Most of the launchers and warheads have been hidden in large groves of palm trees and were to be moved every one to four weeks to escape detection."

"Iraqis have never accounted for all the biological weapons they admitted they had," Powell added. He said information from defectors shows that "Iraq is continuing to make these weapons" at 18 mobile laboratories that are moved around the country.

Iraq, he said, "has never accounted for vast amounts of chemical weaponry. … We have evidence these weapons existed. What we don't have is evidence from Iraq that they have been destroyed or where they are. … Iraq's record on chemical weapons is replete with lies." ...........

"Saddam Hussein," Powell said, "is determined to get his hands on a nuclear bomb." He said Hussein "already possesses two out of the three key components needed to build a nuclear bomb. He has a cadre of nuclear scientists with the expertise, and he has a bomb design." He is now seeking the third component, weapons-grade nuclear material, said Powell. Read the whole speech here: http://www.unwire.org/UNWire/20030205/31868_story.asp