Please ignore and delete this if you have no interest in causes of possible war with Iraq. UNSCOM AND IRAQ - FEBRUARY 1998 TO NOVEMBER 1998 Summary: British agent and head of UNSCOM Richard Butler has given U.S. high altitude photographic intelligence regarding Iraq to Israel and allowed Israeli military intelligence agents to operate as members of UNSCOM inspection teams. As least 3 Israelis entered Iraq under false names using false passports. Former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter all but admits that allegations of weapons violation against Iraq were provided by these spies. The intelligence provided by these provocateurs has been fed back to UNSCOM so that it appears that the accusations come from the U.S. [Source: IHT, 21-22 February 1998] WEAPONS INSPECTIONS BY THE UNITED NATIONS UNSCOM IN IRAQ, HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED WITH FULL COOPERATION OF THE IRAQIS. On March 8, the new buildings of the Defense Ministry were inspected, including the personal office of Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz, without incident. Also the offices of the Special Republican Guard and the Special Security Organization, both of which are under the direct control of Saddam Hussein, were inspected. Other sites were inspected as well, which had been off-limits in the past. Nothing was found at any of the sites. Between March 24 to April 6 the UN will inspect the Presidential cites. Unscom chairman Richard Butler said, "In the past we've been blocked." But apparently now, "We were not. We met with a degree of cooperation that I think justifies figuring that maybe there is now a new spirit out there." The International Herald Tribune writes that pressure continues from "Russia, France, China and the Arab League to wind down the inspections." April 29--ARE THE BRITISH PREPARING A NEW CRISIS IN IRAQ? Judging by the provocative report presented by UNSCOM head and British agent Richard Butler, to the UN Security Council, and the resultant decision by that body to continue the sanctions another 6 months, there is good reason to suspect the British want to keep this on the back burner, but turn up the heat. Iraq's leadership had already made known, in threatening tones, that if the sanctions regime were not loosened, they would not continue cooperation with the UNSCOM team. Thus, the ingredients for a crisis, a replay of November and January, are there. June 16 -- IRAQIS WELCOME LIGHT AT END OF TUNNEL. Sources in the region report that the news of an agreement struck between Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz and UNSCOM head Richard Butler, to end the inspections in two months and proceed, following Butler's report to the Security Council, to lifting the embargo, has been greeted with enthusiasm. It is being presented as a victory for Iraq against Butler and the UN, as well as a victory "against the U.S.." In reality, the decision to ease the sanctions regime has been coordinated in Washington. Butler himself admitted that it would not have come about without the forceful intervention of UN general Secretart Kofi Annan, who had coordinated his mission to Baghdad, with Clinton. King Hussein's visit to Washington currently aims at further discussing how to relieve the suffering imposed on the Iraqi population, through the sanctions. It is not known, what sort of post-sanctions policy is being mapped out. The good news for Iraq--though much too late, and after the death of countless civilians--loses some of its luster, when cast against the backdrop of the disastrous financial and economic collapse worldwide, which is pulling the international oil price down daily. Iraq's return to the international oil market is expected to have a further depressive effect on prices. [Source: Washington Post, "US Sought to Prevent Iraqi Arms Inspections - Surprise Visits Cancelled after Albright Argued that Timing was Wrong," by Barton Gellman, Aug. 14, 1998.] A "BEHIND THE SCENES" CAMPAIGN OF CAUTION, is how the {Washington Post} characterizes its unidentified "knowledgeable American and diplomatic accounts" of conversations between U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and UNSCOM "inspector" Richard Butler which, it reports, caused Butler to pull out of Iraq earlier this month. Butler, according to the report, had "orders for [his] team to mount `challenge inspections' at two sites where alleged forbidden weapons and documents were stored. On July 15, according to the {WaPo} there consultations between Britain's Foreign Office director of Middle East Command, Derek Plumbly, and Butler occurred in which Butler was told the time was not ripe for a provocation because Iraq is still cooperating. Shortly thereafter, U.S. Ambassador Peter Burleigh, reportedly called in Butler for consultation at which Burleigh raised U.S. questions and concerns about the UNSCOM orders. But the U.S. diplomat "told Butler the decision was UNSCOM's." So, according to the account, Butler postponed his "raids" until August 3 or 4. Then on August 4, "Albright urged Butler to rescind" the orders. After this, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz said Iraq had answered long ago all questions about forbidden weapons, and there were no further answers to give. As the account goes, Butler notified the U.S. government on August 4 he authorized the raids to go forward on August 6. That same day, Butler "got word that Albright wished to speak with him." The back and forth continued, Butler agreed to delay to August 9 so that broader support could be secured for the move. It was not, and he received another call from a "high-level" American urging him to have his team "stand down." Butler then ordered the team to leave. [Source: New York Times article by Judith Miller, Aug. 28, 1998.] REPUBLICANS TO HOLD HEARINGS ON CLINTON ADMINISTRATION "SOFTENING" ON IRAQ. Jumping off claims by William Ritter, an American who resigned from the UNSCOM inspection team this week in protest over U.S. "inaction" on Iraq, U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) announced he will hold hearings on the matter Sept. 9. Brownback, who called Ritter's charges "credible, specific, and substantial," charged that the Clinton administration has shown "little resolve in containing Iraq and removing Saddam Hussein from power." Thus, he announced he will convene a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs, which he chairs, to explore the administration's actions. Rep. Benjamin Gilman (R-NY) also is reportedly troubled by Ritter's claims, and he may convene the House Committee on International Relations which he chairs, on the matter. [mjf] [Source: Ha'aretz Sept. 28,1998] WAS UNSCOM RUN BY THE ISRAELIS? In some highly revealing statements to the Israeli daily {Ha'aretz}, former United Nations weapons inspector Scott Ritter all but admits that all the so-called intelligence on Iraqi weapons violations came from Israel. He claimed that the Israelis gave much more information on alleged weapons violations by Iraq than did the CIA. Ritter also admits that the FBI is investigating him for alleged espionage in favor of the Israel. He claims that the CIA told the FBI to investigate him in an effort to discredit him as part of the Clinton administration's ``soft'' policy towards Iraq. At the same time, he admits visiting Israel on many occasions with the permission of UNSCOM director Rolf Ekeus. ``From 1994 to 1998, I was there a lot,'' Ritter told {Ha'aretz}. He also gushed about Israel's role, ``I can honestly say that if it weren't for Israel, the Special Commission would not have been able to carry out the anti-concealment effort.'' He also said that the CIA got the FBI to investigate him out of jealousy, since UNSCOM had a better working relationship with Israeli officials then American officials. He said, ``I didn't receive any money from Israel.... I got a shake of the hand, a pat on the back.'' [source: IISS Newsletter, SUMMER, 1998; Barton Gellman, "Israel Gave Key Help to U.N. Team in Iraq", Wash. Post, Sept. 29, 1998. BRIT SET UP ISRAELI-UNSCOM LINK WHICH U.S. LEAKED TO BREAK. Tim Trevan, the Electronic Information Manager for the British intelligence think tank International Institute for Strategic Studies, arranged for the Israeli military intelligence to begin working with the UNSCOM provocateur-"inspectors" operating in Iraq. The Washington Post reports that Trevan, in 1994 the "political adviser" to UNSCOM executive chairman Rolf Ekeus, met with Israeli intelligence officials who later met secretly with Ekeus. Over time, the UNSCOM leaders reportedly shared with the Israelis U.S.-produced high altitude photographs of Iraq, and the Israelis supplied intelligence input to UNSCOM to feed an aggressive stance against Iraq for which the U.S. was blamed. The Post reports that the "first public hint of the relationship" between UNSCOM, its inspector Scott Ritter, and the Israeli secret services, "came in a leak from the U.S. government aimed at discrediting Ritter, disclosing that he was under FBI investigation for his intelligence contacts with Israel." The Post quotes the British intelligence manager Trevan, "I think it's perfectly valid we had contact with the Israelis. There's nothing to be ashamed about with that contact." Scott Ritter is quoted, that he was not "America's spy or Israel's spy or anyone else's spy." The Washington Post story does not identify Trevan other than as "a Briton," and the adviser to Ekeus. The IISS newsletter reports that Trevan left his post with IISS on March 31, 1998, to begin "writing a book on the UN Special Commission on Iraq." Oct. 28--IRAQ'S CONTINUED COMPLAINTS OF UNSCOM SPIES, are neither paranoid nor exaggerated. According to wire reports picked up in Europe and the Iranian press, a technician of Chilean nationality, working as part of the 120-person UNSCOM team, was expelled from Iraq Oct. 26, after having been caught photographing sensitive military installations. This is the second case this month, a UN spokesman said. The man's name is Julio Minos. He was flown out to Bahrain Monday, according to Nils Carlstrom, the head of the UNSCOM unit in Baghdad. On Oct. 12, a US arms inspector was kicked out, after having photographed a missile site, with a private camera. The Iraqi government demanded that UN rein in its hyperactive spies, threatening otherwise to take steps to protect its security. Iraq is expecting, with good reason, that UNSCOM will sabotage a review of the sanctions regime, when it comes up at the UN. [source: combined wires, Oct. 31, Nov. 1, 1998] BRITISH PUSHING IRAQ CRISIS -- IRAQ DEMANDS END OF ESPIONAGE, EMBARGO. The Iraqi government announced on Saturday, Oct. 31, that Iraq would stop cooperating with the UN Special Commission (UNSCOM) weapons inspectors. Iraq demanded the lifting of the economic sanctions, which have killed a large proportion of Iraq's children since being imposed after the Bush-Thatcher Gulf War of 1991. Saturday afternoon, just hours before the British government's temporary presidency of the United Nations Security Council expired, Britain called an emergency meeting of the Council to get a condemnation of Iraq's decision. An Iraqi newspaper responded, "We say to the Security council that it should expel the spy [Richard] Butler from the Special Commission and lift the unjust embargo on Iraq." Butler, an Australian national, has served as a British provocateur throughout his tenure in the inspections inside Iraq. While describing U.S. concern about the new flare-up on Iraq, Reuters and Anglophile U.S. media made no mention of the Clinton administration's distancing of itself from the UNSCOM provocations -- a policy stance that has drawn the fire of British- and Mossad-aligned officials. Nov. 4--ISRAELI SPIES HAVE BEEN WORKING UNDER THE COVER OF THE UN IN IRAQ. This is the gist of a speech delivered by Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz, to the Iraqi parliament before that body endorsed the decision of the Revolutionary Command Council, to discontinue cooperation with UNSCOM. Tariq Aziz reported that at least three inspectors of UNSCOM were Israeli intelligence officers, who had entered the country with false passports. The names he gave were (transliterated from Arabic) Col. Roneed Hahan Haduri, who works in the Iraqi section of Israeli military intelligence; Col. Naseen Shamai, who works in the Arab Affairs Office of Mossad; and Jedian Deliail Shamoni, who works for Israeli military intelligence. Another name mentioned was that of Col. Friedman Jakov Rikson, an expert on nuclear affairs in Israeli military intelligence. Tariq Aziz said they entered Iraq under cover names, with UNSCOM. These are presumably people in addition to Scott Ritter, who admitted passing information to the Israelis. Tariq Aziz also said that the UN had not raised the possibility of lifting sanctions, even when Iraq was cooperating. He said, they would continue cooperation, if there were a light at the end of the tunnel. It should be noted that Iraq has not terminated all cooperation with the UN. Monitor cameras and some inspections are continuing. [AEI seminar, 10/14/98; Nightline 11/5/98; Forward newspaper, 10/30/98; file material] MELLON SCAIFE YAHOOS PUSH FOR WAR WITH IRAQ: Hollinger Corporation director, Richard Perle, is in the middle of a drive to enact measures to destroy Iraq. On October 14, speaking at a forum at the Mellon Scaife-financed American Enterprise Institute, Perle, who is a supporter of freeing spy Jonathan Jay Pollard, promoted the cause of Scott Ritter, a former U.S. member of the UNSCOM concealment inspection unit in Iraq, who has been suspected of passing information about Iraq on to the Israelis. Perle denounced the Clinton administration for interfering with Ritter's inspections. Last week, as part of the propaganda buildup for action against Iraq, Ritter was featured on Ted Koppel's Nightline, where he repeatedly made claims that Iraq was producing weapons in violation of the ceasefire. Speaking in zombie-like style, Ritter made clear he doesn't believe there ever should have been a ceasefire with Iraq in 1991. Continuing the press drumbeat for action, the WSJ today wrote "military action may be unavoidable" even though they report that Clinton made no such determination over the weekend. In a lead editorial last week, the New York Times called for military strikes against Iraq. (mjs) [Source: Daily Telegraph, November 10, 1998] BRITAIN WARNS IRAQ `TIME IS RUNNING OUT'. British Defence Secretary George Robertson is touring the Gulf states trying to drum up support for a military strike against Iraq. In Kuwait he said, "Don't underestimate the resolution of the international community. We mean it." Kuwait apparently assured its support. Robin Cook, the British Foreign Secretary, is to visit egypt and Saudi Arabia next week. The article cites foreign office sources as saying they will allow another two weeks for a possible diplomatic solution.