Did Germany sell bio labs to Iraq?

[Waitone]

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=31103



Report says Saddam got 8 mobile facilities in 1980s
Posted: February 19, 2003
1:00 a.m. Eastern



© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com

Germany sold eight mobile laboratories to Iraq in the 1980s, reports the German-language New Zurich Newspaper.

According to a story in the Swiss paper yesterday, Iraq received the facilities for the purpose of producing biological and chemical weapons. Development expert Hans Branscheidt claims he personally saw the vehicles in action on several occasions in 1988, reports the paper.

"What is certain is that at least eight of these mobile laboratories were delivered from the Federal Republic of Germany to Iraq as late as the end of the eighties," Branscheidt is quoted as saying in the New Zurich. According to the report, he also confirmed his comments to the Reuters news service.

Branscheidt also wrote in a column for the German-language Evangelical Press Service that the construction of an Iraqi research center for missile technology "became almost exclusively the work of German companies."

As WorldNetDaily reported, the German magazine Focus reported this month that German intelligence officials believe Iraq has truck-borne weapons labs for making chemical or biological weapons. The report also says that Iraq bought parts that could be used for the labs from German companies.

The head of Germany's intelligence service, August Hanning, told German legislators that the Iraqi government had even bought equipment for the laboratories in Germany, according to the Focus report. He said Baghdad had also attempted to buy material in Germany to build missiles.

Germany also may be involved with another "axis of evil" nation – North Korea.

Yesterday, the Washington Times reported that the North Korean ship that last year delivered Scud missiles to Yemen transferred a large shipment of chemical weapons material from Germany to North Korea recently, citing U.S. intelligence officials.

According to the Times report, the ship, the Sosan, was monitored as it arrived in North Korea earlier this month carrying a shipment of sodium cyanide, a precursor chemical used in making nerve gas. The vessel reportedly picked up the chemicals in Germany after unloading the missiles in Yemen.

 

[Soap]

I seem to recall that we sold Iraq some stuff back in the '80s as well...

 

[buzz_knox]

Yup, we sure did, back when we were allies and wanted to make sure that neither Iraq nor Iran had a decisive advantage in the Middle East. But the article does mention Germany supplying chemical weapons material last year. Don't you think that makes a wee bit of a difference? We did it before the Gulf War. They are doing now. Seems a bit different to me.

 

[Tamara]

Maybe this reporter has forgotten that in the 1980s Iraq was our secular ally in holding off the crazed Islamic hordes of the Ayatollah.

Oceania is at war with Eurasia. Oceania has always been at war with Eurasia. Eastasia is our ally. Eastasia has always been our ally.

 

[Tamara]

buzz_knox,

But the article does mention Germany supplying chemical weapons material last year.

Perhaps you could quote the part of the article where it says that? I just re-read it several times and it says that the labs were sold to Iraq in the 1980s.

 

[buzz_knox]

I realize that the references to 1984 are cute and all, but they really are fundamentally inappropriate to the political situation at hand, and misapplies the book and Orwell's intentions.

Has there been any effort to erase history so as to justify current antagonism against Iraq? Nope. Information abounds on the subject, and the government acknowledges the existence of the prior relationship.

Was there no action which led to the destruction of the prior relationship? Hmm. I seem to recall an event on or about August 2, 1990, in which our former ally invaded a current ally. Refresh my recollection, please, as to where such an event was detailed in 1984.

Is the situation with Iraq being developed generally in the open? Can the public see the progress of the situation? That didn't occur in the book, did it?

 

[buzz_knox]

My mistake. I saw that the same ship which delivered Scuds to Yemen took chemical weapons material from Germany to North Korea, and transposed the two events. At the time, I was thinking about the reports of German companies selling centrifuge equipment to Iraq during the '90s, and that's why I made the statement.

 

[T.Stahl]

Theoretically any chemist should be able to make C-weapons and any biologist should be able to B-weapons, just as any aeronautical engineer (like me) should be able to make a V1 to deliver them to a target.

Ever talked to a chemist? Ask him/her what's the differences in "chemical weapons material" and material you need for insecticides and similar stuff.
I doubt there are single-use materials that can only be used for weapons OR peaceful applications.

 

[buzz_knox]

Agreed. Most chemical weapons were developed from insecticide research as well (although some came from research into artificial dyes). But seeing as how North Korea doesn't have a big locust problem, can we agree that when one supplies such dual use technology to a nation such as that, one is not presupposing that such technology will be used against crickets? Might one, in fact, be motivated by the money being offered, and the unfounded expectation that anything nefarious developed therefrom might be only used "over there"?

 

[Master Blaster]

organo phosphates and , cyanates are both used to make:

Agricultural pesticides, and Chemical weapons and Nerve gas,

Chemical weapons? Think Raid for people, difference is in the strength and delivery systems.

Real difference between Iraq and North Korea?

Iraq is threatening the world Oil supply, which is the lifeblood of the world economy.

North Korea is threatening South Korea NO OIL IN SOUTH KOREA.

OIL IS IMPORTANT.

 

[Bahadur]

Real difference between Iraq and North Korea?

Iraq is threatening the world Oil supply, which is the lifeblood of the world economy.

North Korea is threatening South Korea NO OIL IN SOUTH KOREA.

OIL IS IMPORTANT.

South Korea is a leading supply of liquid crystal displays and other electronic components to the world. Some would argue that such goods are just as important to the world economy as petroleum. Fortunately, both types of goods have alternate suppliers.

The real difference between Iraq and North Korea is this: Iraq CAN be a dominant power in the region (it might have become so if it hadn't overplayed its hand in 1990); while North Korea is pretty much hemmed in by substantially stronger powers like China, Russia, South Korea and Japan.

Another difference is that Iraq has relationships with groups that attack US interests worldwide. North Korea, when it does engage in terrorism, targets mostly South Korea (and occassionally bystanders like Japan). Meaning, North Korea is less of an urgent threat in the post-9/11 environment.

Yet another difference is that we can kick *** in Iraq now. North Korea is somewhat tougher nut to crack. Remember Liddell Hart? When you have a strong enemy and a weak one, you attack the weak one first and let the moral of his "easy" defeat sink on the mind of the stronger enemy. If you play it the other way, there is a good chance you will be exhausted fighting the stronger enemy, thus emboldening the weaker one.