WP: Report Finds No Evidence Syria Hid Iraqi Arms

[Pirate Smile]

Report Finds No Evidence Syria Hid Iraqi Arms

By Dana Priest
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 26, 2005; Page A01

U.S. investigators hunting for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq have found no evidence that such material was moved to Syria for safekeeping before the war, according to a final report of the investigation released yesterday.

Although Syria helped Iraq evade U.N.-imposed sanctions by shipping military and other products across its borders, the investigators "found no senior policy, program, or intelligence officials who admitted any direct knowledge of such movement of WMD." Because of the insular nature of Saddam Hussein's government, however, the investigators were "unable to rule out unofficial movement of limited WMD-related materials."

The Iraq Survey Group's main findings -- that Hussein's Iraq did not possess chemical and biological weapons and had only aspirations for a nuclear program -- were made public in October in an interim report covering nearly 1,000 pages. Yesterday's final report, published on the Government Printing Office's Web site ( http://www.gpo.gov/ ), incorporated those pages with minor editing and included 92 pages of addenda that tied up loose ends on Syria and other topics.

U.S. officials have held out the possibility that Syria worked in tandem with Hussein's regime to hide weapons before the U.S.-led invasion. The survey group said it followed up on reports that a Syrian security officer had discussed collaboration with Iraq on weapons, but it was unable to complete that investigation. But Iraqi officials whom the group was able to interview "uniformly denied any knowledge of residual WMD that could have been secreted to Syria," the report said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/04/25/AR2005042501554.html

[bluestateguy]

1. "well, then, uh...it must have been shipped to IRAN!"

Talking points for tomorrow's right wing radio talk shows.

[buddysmellgood]

2. Well then, I guess we should attack.

[Journeyman]

7. It would stand to reason (in a BushCo sort of way). . .

[mhr]

3. Can You Imagine Being A US Service Member Now In Iraq

And knowing that you are fighting for a lie?

Further, how about being the loved one of someone killed or maimed for the lies of GW bush.

Truly tragic and sad for all concerned.

[rodeodance]

13. they are fights for democracy-that is the line now--Fox is being piped

into Iraq. I do think many servicepeople believe the new line now.

[mogster]

15. I don't think so

Think about it.
These people die for this. People are wounded and killed right in front of the troops, on both sides. Children, women and old people.
They are closer to this than any of us, and see the whole picture in gory details.

I find it hard to believe that they can just switch from the WMD-lie to the democracy lie as easy as the RW do. They paid the ultimate cost for the first lie, and probably will question the second.

I had the pleaseure of rubbing this thread in some RWingers face earlier today, one that has done that switch--easy as teasy--and who now is bubbling with democracy kool-aid.
Big thanks to threadstarter for providing this info :hi:

[alcibiades_mystery]

4. The entire Syria argument was ridiculous from the get go

Under the closest satellite scrutiny in history, Saddam manages to move thousands of tons of munitions from stockpile to Syria?

Puh-leez. Anybody who ever even had a glimmer of believing that nonsense is so fucking foolish that you may as well not even bother trying to communicate. You'd have to be a total moron to believe any of it. It's quite shocking, in fact, that the last desperate straws of the Bush "please let us find anything resembling a WMD" inspectors required money spent investogating this nonsense. Shocking.

[bullimiami]

5. one more pile of BuShit debunked. not that it matters.

[cobaindrain]

6. uh, they must be in Iran...yea

[Frederik]

8. Damn!

the Syrians are good at hiding WMD!

[moondust]

9. Shoulda asked Curveball.

Our man "in the know".

[RoyGBiv]

10. Related Story ...

This was posted earlier in a different format, but I thought that the two should go together.

WASHINGTON - Wrapping up his investigation into Saddam Hussein's purported arsenal, the CIA's top weapons hunter in Iraq said his search for weapons of mass destruction "has been exhausted" without finding any.

Nor did he find any evidence that such weapons were shipped officially from Iraq to Syria to be hidden before the U.S. invasion, but he couldn't rule out some unofficial transfer of limited WMD-related materials.

He closed his effort with words of caution about potential future threats and careful assessment of this and other unanswered questions.

The Bush administration justified its 2003 invasion of Iraq as necessary to eliminate Hussein's purported stockpile of WMD.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&u=/ap/20050426/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_weapons_hunt_7

[BlueIris]

11. Thanks for trying, kids.

Now can we have some headlines warning them off Iran (not that this will work, but who's to say you can't try some more)?

[Pinboy]

12. They have a firm grasp of the obvious. n/t

[Az_lefty]

14. Doesn't matter...

the neocon's need a boogieman and Syria's it (or Iran). As long as Hannity and the other boot-licker's keep repeating "Syria's hiding the WMDs" the sheep will keep believing.

[lovuian]

16. Inspectors Find No Proof Iraq Hid Weapons in Syria

http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/redir.php?jid=82044be905d4986e&cat=c08dd24cec417021

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S.-led group that scoured Iraq for weapons of mass destruction has found no evidence Iraq hid such weapons in Syria before the U.S. invasion in March 2003, according to a final report on the investigation.
The 1,700-member Iraq Survey Team, responsible for the weapons hunt, also said in a report released late on Monday it found no Iraqi officials with direct knowledge of a transfer of weapons of mass destruction developed by former President Saddam Hussein.

President Bush and other U.S. officials cited a grave threat posed by Iraq's chemical and biological weapons and Baghdad's efforts to acquire a nuclear arms capability as a justification for war. No such weapons were found but U.S. officials said it was possible Saddam sent them to Syria for safekeeping.

The report is the final addendum to the investigators' September report that concluded prewar Iraq had no WMD stockpiles of biological and chemical weapons and that its nuclear program had decayed before the U.S.-led invasion.

The Iraq Survey Group, led by CIA special adviser Charles Duelfer, wrapped up its physical searches for weapons of mass destruction last December.

The new report posted on the CIA Web site said: "Based on evidence available ... it is unlikely that an official transfer of WMD material from Iraq to Syria took place. However ISG was unable to rule out unofficial movement of limited WMD-related materials."

more...

Its all been a sham from the get go!!!

[MontageOfFreedom]

17. So now the religious wrong wants to go after Syria....

Where have I read that before....Oh right, in a speech by Tom DeLay. They claimed Syria is full of terrorists. Strange to me...

[struggle4progress]

18. kick

[ConcernedCanuk]

19. The world has missed the insane logic of the WMD thing anyways

.
.
.

or have they?

For even IF Iraq had WMDs, and or shipped them anywhere

Using the possession or development of WMDs as an excuse for invasion raises an obvious question.

Doesn't that logic "justify" preemptive attacks on the United States for the same reason?

I'm sure many other governments can join the dots . . . . .

and maybe some other country will decide to spread IT's version of democracy to Murikkka . . .

yuppers

sure looks like Murikkka fits the criteria for invasion and occupation . .

[MontageOfFreedom]

20. Don't say this out loud in the middle of a church.

You might be freeped by evangelicals.