Because they could...

[fjc]

November 5, 2003
Baghdad Scrambled to Offer Deal to U.S. as War Loomed
By JAMES RISEN

ASHINGTON, Nov. 5 — As American soldiers massed on the Iraqi border in March and diplomats argued about war, an influential adviser to the Pentagon received a secret message from a Lebanese-American businessman: Saddam Hussein wanted to make a deal.

Iraqi officials, including the chief of the Iraqi Intelligence Service, had told the businessman that they wanted Washington to know that Iraq no longer had weapons of mass destruction, and they offered to allow American troops and experts to conduct an independent search. The businessman said in an interview that the Iraqis also offered to hand over a man accused of being involved in the World Trade Center bombing in 1993 who was being held in Baghdad. At one point, he said, the Iraqis pledged to hold elections.

The messages from Baghdad, first relayed in February to an analyst in the office of Douglas J. Feith, the under secretary of defense for policy and planning, were part of an attempt by Iraqi intelligence officers to open last-ditch negotiations with the Bush administration through a clandestine communications channel, according to people involved.

The efforts were portrayed by Iraqi officials as having the approval of President Saddam Hussein, according to interviews and documents.



http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/05/international/worldspecial/05CND-INTEL.html?position=&hp=&pagewanted=print&position

[FlashHarry]

1. Locking

Dupe. Please continue here: http://democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=201626&mesg_id=201626

Also, please note, per DU LBN rules, your subject post must be the actual headline of the story.

FlashHarry
DU Moderator

[truthisfreedom]

2. you have to put the title of the article in your subject line.