Interview with Gen. Hussein Kamel, head of Iraq's weapons programme

"I ordered destruction of all chemical weapons. All weapons - biological, chemical, missile, nuclear were destroyed"

A Transcript in .pfd format

Gen. Hussein Kamel, the former director of Iraq's Military Industrialization Corporation, in charge of Iraq's weapons programme, defected to Jordan on the night of 7 August 1995, together with his brother Col. Saddam Kamel. Hussein Kamel took crates of documents revealing past weapons programmes, and provided these to UNSCOM. Iraq responded by revealing a major store of documents that showed that Iraq had begun an unsuccessful crash programme to develop a nuclear bomb (on 20 August 1995). Hussein and Saddam Kamel agreed to return to Iraq, where they were assassinated (23 February 1996).

The interview was conducted in Amman on 22 August 1995, 15 days after Kamel left Iraq. His interviewers were:

- Rolf Ekeus, the former executive chairman of Unscom (from 1991 to 1997).

- Professor Maurizio Zifferero, deputy director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and head of the inspections team in Iraq.

- Nikita Smidovich, a Russian diplomat who led UNSCOM's ballistic missile team and former Deputy Director for Operations of UNSCOM.

In the transcript of the interview, Kamel states categorically:

"I ordered destruction of all chemical weapons. All weapons - biological, chemical, missile, nuclear were destroyed"

Kamel added: "I made the decision to disclose everything so that Iraq could return to normal."

Furthermore, Kamel describes the elimination of prohibited missiles: "not a single missile left but they had blueprints and molds for production. All missiles were destroyed."

Kamel replied: "we changed the factory into pesticide production. Part of the establishment started to produce medicine [...] We gave insturctions not to produce chemical weapons."

source:
Information Clearing House

Much has been said about the WMD's in Iraq - that was one of the Main Reasons for the Bush administration to go to War in Iraq.

But it seems that they never Found any WMD's in Iraq.

Could it be, that ALL of these were destroyed as General Hussein Kamel said in his Interview?

Could it be, that WMD's had really nothing to do with this War?

Was it Just Another Lie - like the bogous link between Al-Qaeda and Iraq?

Kamel's statement casts into new light the claims made by the Iraqi government that it destroyed its non-conventional weapons in the period immediately after the end of the Gulf War. This topic remains highly potent, with Hans Blix declaring that "one of three important questions before us today is how much might remain undeclared and intact from before 1991" (statement of 27 January 2003 to the Security Council). If Kamel is to be taken as seriously as the UK and US administrations have previously held him to be, then his claim that "all weapons - biological, chemical, missile, nuclear were destroyed" should be taken seriously.

This illustrates how the US and UK used selective quoting and only used the information that suited their view that Iraq kept weapons behind. By all means, it looks like Kamel Hussein was telling the truth. The weapons were destroyed, however in secret and without adequate documentation. That is most likely the real reason why Iraq couldn't account for all its WMD and tools to make them.

Originally posted by Simon666
This illustrates how the US and UK used selective quoting and only used the information that suited their view that Iraq kept weapons behind. By all means, it looks like Kamel Hussein was telling the truth. The weapons were destroyed, however in secret and without adequate documentation. That is most likely the real reason why Iraq couldn't account for all its WMD and tools to make them.

Selective Quoting brought US and UK in this War on Terrorism

It just suited their anti-terrorist agenda, so that they could use them, to invade Iraq in the first place.

It was not the missing documentation that was the Problem.

If ther ronly concern was to know, that WMD's are removed, then they would look more into this Problem and hope for a Peacefull resolution.

But that was not the case here.

There was not Hope for a Peacefull resolution - WMD's were just used to manipulate the Public into supporting the Invasion.

But the carnage in Iraq we see today is the Result of that maniuplation.

As long as Iraq is Free and Liberated and Democratic.

Who really cares for the "selective quoting" by the administration to support the Invasion.

After all, Politicans Lie to us all the time....

[edit on 19/6/05 by Souljah]

[edit on 19/6/05 by Souljah]

Souljah, you are aware that there were Sarin and Mustard gas rounds found in iraq? They were only a few incidents, but isnt this indicative that at one time he had large supplies?. Although i do agree with you that WMDs are an excuse.

Originally posted by XphilesPhan
Souljah, you are aware that there were Sarin and Mustard gas rounds found in iraq? They were only a few incidents, but isnt this indicative that at one time he had large supplies?. Although i do agree with you that WMDs are an excuse.

Ofcouse Saddam had LOTS of Chemical Weapons, since lots of the USA Sold to him in the days of Reagan and Iraq-Iran War.

But the problem is, that All of them were destroyed and eliminated as General Hussein Kamel claims in this Interview - therefore making all statements about invading Iraq because of WMD's Irrelevant.

Originally posted by XphilesPhan
Souljah, you are aware that there were Sarin and Mustard gas rounds found in iraq? They were only a few incidents, but isnt this indicative that at one time he had large supplies?. Although i do agree with you that WMDs are an excuse.

To my knowledge there was only ONE cyclosarin round found that was still functional, as it was a binary ammunition which doesn't degrade so fast. The insurgents had rigged it as IED, implying they didn't know what they had and might have been a dud from the Iran Iraq war they found lying around somewhere. There were further two sarin rounds that were 10 or more years old that were no longer functional and several false finds of mustard gas rounds by Danish troops. And duh, everyone knows that at one time Iraq had large stockpiles. Yet noone has seen any evidence that after 1994 or so any stockpiles were deliberately kept behind.

[edit on 19-6-2005 by Simon666]

Originally posted by Souljah
[Ofcouse Saddam had LOTS of Chemical Weapons, since lots of the USA Sold to him in the days of Reagan and Iraq-Iran War.

As well as France, Belgium, China, Great Britain, Russia, Japan, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands, just for a start.

Chemicals are just that, components which can be ordered or produced to do peaceful, mundane tasks (such as develop film, fertilize crops, sterilize operating rooms, exterminate pests etc.) which when sometimes combined can be made lethal or explosive. Components and equipment to enhance chemical warfare capabilities, further refine compounds and create refined chemicals (both peaceful and non peaceful) can also be purchased under the same auspices of peaceful purposes. The decision is left to the receiver as to the eventual use, open or covert, peaceful or non-peaceful. Anyone can research how to make mustard gas (even on the internet) add a scientist or two to enhance production and bingo weaponized mustard gas. You can not ban a country from all chemicals; ceasing the production of chemical weapons is a voluntary act by a nation.

Biological agents are most often sold for medical research and development (inoculations such as smallpox, reagent research and the like) all of which can be converted to biological weapons. Just as above the choice to use the material for weapons is determined by the country in receivership no deployable weapons grade material was sold specifically for use in warfare by the US.

Originally posted by Souljah
But the problem is, that All of them were destroyed and eliminated as General Hussein Kamel claims in this Interview - therefore making all statements about invading Iraq because of WMD's Irrelevant.

Claiming to ‘order the destruction of all NCBW’ is not the same as stating ‘all CBW were destroyed’ this only speaks to his actions and no one else’s. All of this compounded by a covering statement later “I was not involved in any of their wrongdoings. I lead a quiet life.” comes very close to an attempt to wash hands and point fingers away from self to preserve self.

There are also open ended statements speaking to the use of French ‘ready to use’ uranium for a nuclear device. All of this leading to research being diverted to delivery and implosion studies rather than a focus on enrichment with Iraq’s limited centrifuges based upon the availability of French enriched uranium.

The 1995 interview does speak directly to the conversion of dual purpose facilities to peaceful production with the understanding chemical and biological weapons can be and had been produced from the same facilities. The little information contained within the interview would be considered far outdated for serious review prior to Gulf War II other than the mention of covert acts of deception.



.

Originally posted by cjf
Claiming to ‘order the destruction of all NCBW’ is not the same as stating ‘all CBW were destroyed’ this only speaks to his actions and no one else’s.

He not only claimed to have it ordered destroyed, but also that it was destroyed.

Originally posted by cjf
There are also open ended statements speaking to the use of French ‘ready to use’ uranium for a nuclear device. All of this leading to research being diverted to delivery and implosion studies rather than a focus on enrichment with Iraq’s limited centrifuges based upon the availability of French enriched uranium.

Where did you get that one from? Uranium by the way isn't used for implosion devices, plutonium is. And for uranium devices, you DO need enrichment.

cjf,

Whats your Point?

Were there ANY WMD's Found in Iraq?

No - I think that USA holds ALOT more WMD's then any State in the World.

Are there any links between Saddam and Al-Qaeda.

No - apparently USA has more connection to Al-Qaeda then Iraq ever had.


So, two Main Reasons for the Invasion of Iraq, and both of them FAILED miserably.

Whats is going to be the Next Excuse for this Failure of a Liberaton?

Biological weapons need to be kept in STRICTLY CONTROLLED environments. And they still degrade over time.

Sarin and mustard gas degrade and are useless after only 3 months in the BEST of circumstances. If they are just lefft in a fridge they are useless.


Alot of the so-called weapons caches they found were dating back to the Iran-Iraq War, and the weaponized items were useless.


jako

There was also the huge weapons report that Iraq submitted to the UN, that the US got hold of and removed several thousand pages and censored many more before anyone else saw it

A MAJOR case of cherry picking information?