Tony Blairs Recent Speech

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What do people from GB think of Tony Blairs speech today?

[spyder 0]

Overview

 

Iraq has "military plans" for the use of chemical and biological weapons, even against its own population

 

Saddam is one or two years off building a nuclear weapon if he manages to obtain weapons-grade material from abroad

 

Chemical and nuclear programmes are "well funded" through illicit earnings of up to $3 billion

 

Iraq has "tried covertly to acquire technology and materials which could be used in the production of nuclear weapons"

 

Iraq is preparing to conceal evidence of weapons and incriminating documents from weapons inspectors in the future

 

Saddam regards the possession of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles as the basis of Iraq's regional power

 

Saddam practises torture, execution and coercion against enemies within Iraq

 

Tony Blair writes in the dossier: "I am in no doubt that the threat is serious and current, that he has made progress on weapons of mass destruction and that he has to be stopped"

Nuclear programme

 

Iraq is five years away from producing a nuclear weapon on its own

 

Iraq has constructed engine test equipment for a missile capable of striking British military bases in Cyprus, Nato members Greece and Turkey and Iraq's Gulf neighbours and Israel

 

Saddam has tried to acquire "significant quantities" of uranium from Africa despite having no civil programme that could need it

 

Iraq's nuclear programme is "almost certainly" seeking an ability to enrich to weapons quality uranium mined in Iraq

 

Approach is based on a process known as gas centrifuge uranium enrichment, but he lacks certain key pieces of equipment

 

Specialists have been recalled to work on a nuclear programme

Chemical and biological weapons

 

Iraq has continued to produce chemical and biological weapons

 

Some weapons are deployable within 45 minutes of an order to use them

 

It retainssome such weapons from pre-Gulf War stocks

 

Saddam also retains the capability to produce the mass-casualty chemical agents mustard gas, tabun, sarin, cyclosarin and VX

 

Iraq has developed mobile laboratories for military use

Missile programmes

 

Iraq has retained up to 20 al-Hussein missiles, with a range of 650km, capable of carrying chemical or biological warheads

 

It has started deploying its al-Samoud liquid propellant missile and extended its range to at least 200km, beyond the 150km UN limit

 

Iraq has started producing the solid-propellant Ababil-100 and is trying to extend its range to 200km

 

Latest intelligence reports suggest Iraq has begun developing missiles with a range of more than 1,000km, and if sanctions remained effective it would be able to produce such weapons by 2007

Saddam's power

 

Saddam has retained authority over command and control arrangements to use chemical and biological weapons

 

Intelligence reports say he may have delegated authority to his son Qusai

 

Saddam does not regard weapons of mass destruction as a last resort

Funding

 

Chemical, biological, nuclear and ballistic missile programmes are "well funded"

 

Iraq generates income outside UN control to an estimated $3bn in 2002

 

Illicit earnings are used to maintain Iraq's armed forces and to develop or acquire military equipment including chemical, biological, nuclear and ballistic programmes

 

Illicit earnings have increased from around $1bn in 1999 to $3bn in 2002

Iraq under Saddam

 

Saddam uses patronage and violence to motivate supporters and control or eliminate opposition

 

He pursues a long-term programme of persecution against Iraqi Kurds, including the use of chemical weapons

 

People are arrested and detained for alleged political or religious activities

 

Executions carried out without due process of law with thousands of prisoners executed

 

Women prisoners at Mahjar are routinely raped by guards

 

Prisoners at Qurtiyya Prison in Baghdad and elsewhere left in metal boxes to die if they do not confess

 

Penalties for criminal offences include amputation, branding, cutting off ears and mutilation

 

"Slander" against Saddam results in having tongues removed

 

Some 40 Saddam relatives, including women and children, killed

UN weapons inspections

 

April 1991 first resolutions passed to enable UN to dismantle Iraq's nuclear, chemical, biological and missile programmes

 

These programmes were in contravention of Iraq's treaty commitments

 

Iraq has "persistently" obstructed UN weapons inspectors

 

It has been state policy to retain all weapons programmes despite agreements to do otherwise

 

Weapons inspectors banned from going to eight "presidential" sites

 

Iraq has admitted to having a system for hiding proscribed material from inspectors

 

Weapons inspectors have been intimidated by Iraqi officials

 

Forged documents used to account for proscribed materials for the growth of anthrax and botulinum toxin

 

Iraq has destroyed weapons unilaterally to stop the UN being able to account for them

Blair's view

 

In the dossier, the prime minister says that although gathering intelligence inside Iraq is not easy he and other ministers are satisfied with the authority of the information

 

He says it is "unprecedented for the government to publish a document of this kind"

 

He says he has become "increasingly alarmed" in recent months by evidence that Saddam Hussein is developing weapons of mass destruction in contravention of UN resolutions

 

He says: "I am quite clear that Saddam will go to extreme lengths, indeed has already done so, to hide these weapons and avoid giving them up."

[Guest]

Putting it simply, I wish he would simply stop taking the UK into war.

 

What's with the US attitude on Germany too?

[xxx 2]

Very predictable, alas.

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[miteyak 0]

CNN today, sub-title below a 'bush' speech(?)

 

Bush:Saddan Hussein

tried to kill his dad

 

Ummm, waiting for Jerry to spring into view.

 

Not impressed by Bush, or his li''le lapdog Blairzy wairzy.