Iraq Scientist Says Saddam Hiding Arms Underground

[mrmatas2277]

MANILA (Reuters) - A former top Iraqi scientist said on Tuesday he believed Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) had dismantled his nuclear program but was making chemical and biological weapons that were hidden deep underground beyond the eyes of U.N. inspectors.

Hussain Al Shahristani said the Iraqi president did not have the capacity to deliver a payload of the weapons to distant countries but could pass them to overseas cells of supporters which he had built up over the years.

"There's no way that they can really find them, unless by pure accident," Shahristani, a former chief scientific advisor to the Iraqi Atomic Energy Commission, told a briefing organized by an association of foreign journalists in the Philippines.

"These materials are hidden deep underground or in a tunnel system."

He said he was jailed for 11 years by Saddam's regime for refusing to develop banned weapons but that he escaped from Iraq in 1991. He now lives in London.

Shahristani said his information came from former colleagues and dissidents who had recently fled the country.

"My understanding is that the nuclear program has been, for all practical purposes, dismantled," he said. "But the program to produce chemical and biological weapons continued even during the years when the inspectors were in Iraq in the 1990s."

Hans Blix, chief weapons inspector for the United Nations (news - web sites), said in a report to the world body's Security Council on Friday that his teams had discovered no banned weapons in Iraq.

The report was seen as a setback for U.S. and British efforts to get U.N. endorsement to use military force against Iraq over its alleged failure to get rid of weapons of mass destruction.

CHEMICAL BELT AROUND BAGHDAD

Shahristani said he believed Saddam planned to make his last stand in Baghdad in the event of a U.S.-led attack and use the capital's four million residents as human shields.

"There has even been discussion within his circle to set up what they call a chemical belt around Baghdad using his chemical weapons to entrap the residents of Baghdad inside," he said.

Shahrastani quoted his informants as saying Saddam was banking on 50,000 to 100,000 soldiers to defend the city, but the scientist doubted they would fight to the last man.

"Based on contacts that we are having with the people inside Iraq, who are talking with the military all the time, the general understanding of the population now is that the army is not going to fight," he said. "The army is not going to defend Saddam."

Reports that Saddam had look-alikes to confuse potential assassins were "absolutely true," Shahristani said.

"I have seen them," he said. "There are usually between four and eight convoys that leave the palace through different doors -- identical convoys of black Mercedes -- each of them having one who looks like Saddam. They leave in different directions."

[dnice35]

I still think we should pleed with Saddam to "please, please stop making biological weapons, and to please consider following the UNs resolution"......

[igloo]

The cold reality is France, and the American left will only believe Iraq has WMD if it blasts them in the face.....when it would be too late

Prior to 9/11, if American made the case to launch a pre-emptive strike in Afghanistan, you would see the same anti-war activity....even after 9/11, people were protesting US military action in Afghanistan

[dgmodel]

Originally posted by mrmatas2277

MANILA (Reuters) - A former top Iraqi scientist said on Tuesday he believed Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) had dismantled his nuclear program but was making chemical and biological weapons that were hidden deep underground beyond the eyes of U.N. inspectors.

Hussain Al Shahristani said the Iraqi president did not have the capacity to deliver a payload of the weapons to distant countries but could pass them to overseas cells of supporters which he had built up over the years.

"There's no way that they can really find them, unless by pure accident," Shahristani, a former chief scientific advisor to the Iraqi Atomic Energy Commission, told a briefing organized by an association of foreign journalists in the Philippines.

"These materials are hidden deep underground or in a tunnel system."

He said he was jailed for 11 years by Saddam's regime for refusing to develop banned weapons but that he escaped from Iraq in 1991. He now lives in London.

Shahristani said his information came from former colleagues and dissidents who had recently fled the country.

"My understanding is that the nuclear program has been, for all practical purposes, dismantled," he said. "But the program to produce chemical and biological weapons continued even during the years when the inspectors were in Iraq in the 1990s."

Hans Blix, chief weapons inspector for the United Nations (news - web sites), said in a report to the world body's Security Council on Friday that his teams had discovered no banned weapons in Iraq.

The report was seen as a setback for U.S. and British efforts to get U.N. endorsement to use military force against Iraq over its alleged failure to get rid of weapons of mass destruction.

CHEMICAL BELT AROUND BAGHDAD

Shahristani said he believed Saddam planned to make his last stand in Baghdad in the event of a U.S.-led attack and use the capital's four million residents as human shields.

"There has even been discussion within his circle to set up what they call a chemical belt around Baghdad using his chemical weapons to entrap the residents of Baghdad inside," he said.

Shahrastani quoted his informants as saying Saddam was banking on 50,000 to 100,000 soldiers to defend the city, but the scientist doubted they would fight to the last man.

"Based on contacts that we are having with the people inside Iraq, who are talking with the military all the time, the general understanding of the population now is that the army is not going to fight," he said. "The army is not going to defend Saddam."

Reports that Saddam had look-alikes to confuse potential assassins were "absolutely true," Shahristani said.

"I have seen them," he said. "There are usually between four and eight convoys that leave the palace through different doors -- identical convoys of black Mercedes -- each of them having one who looks like Saddam. They leave in different directions."

it was also said that saddam has many freight trucks filled with "weapons" and has them cruising the highways so they are not searched... along with ships and in ppls homes...