Records show Iraq was buying forbidden U.S. high-tech goods

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2003-08-29-iraq-goods-usat_x.htm

BAGHDAD — U.S. investigators examining bank and government records here say they have unearthed evidence that high-tech hardware manufactured by at least 30 U.S. companies was sold to Iraq in violation of United Nations sanctions and U.S. Customs regulations.

Officials are trying to determine whether any of those companies knowingly violated the sanctions and U.S. Customs laws — or unwittingly sold the goods, including computers, laboratory equipment and aircraft parts, to third parties who then dealt with Saddam Hussein's regime. Investigators declined to name the U.S. companies.

The evidence may confirm the United States' long-standing accusation that Saddam violated the U.N. sanctions, which sought to isolate and punish his regime for its invasion of Kuwait in 1990, its persecution of Shiite Muslims and ethnic Kurds and its efforts to obtain weapons of mass destruction.

Now, investigators with access to records and who have had a chance to interview former officials in Saddam's regime are developing a clearer understanding of how Iraq's sanctions-busting operation worked.

more

[AWD]

1. Hmmmm....

Investigators declined to name the U.S. companies.

Lemme guess...it rhymes with Shmalliburton???

[mhr]

2. My, My

Look at how far we have come.

We justified a war because Saddam could attack within 45 minutes.

We now know that to be a LIE.

Now we try to justify the war because UN sanctions were violated.

Well how about the international law that was violated when the US and UK attacked.

I have one answer for these folks. Look at the mangled body of this Iraqi girl and tell me that the invasion was justified.

Were illegal computers worth this!

http://www.villagephotos.com/viewpubimage.asp?id_=4590365&selected=456200

[Spentastic]

6. Powerful stuff

Thanks for posting this, but may I suggest a warning to those with weak stomachs. You probably do need to see this, but do it somewhere where you can throw up.

This is what "freedom" meant

[hang a left]

13. liberating,

isn't it

[ixion]

3. pretty typical for BushCo

and of course they don't want to release the names of the company's because the jig would be up.

This is the equivalent of a minor buying booze, and they a year later the police burst into his room and find a receipt and then punish the child, while letting the liquor store off the hook.

Is that the way things are done anywhere else? No. Only in the world according to the Mad Chimp.

*sigh*

[Paschall]

4. Maybe it's time to post these links again

US trade balance with Iraq 1992-2003

US trade with Iraq 1998

US trade with Iraq 1999

US trade with Iraq 2000

US trade with Iraq 2001

US trade with Iraq 2002

[0007]

5. I would wager that James A. Baker III knows

I bet his company made some bucks also. I sure hope we can find out.

[kentuck]

7. Cheney would know...

He was doing business with Saddam...All of them were probably his contacts...

[bobthedrummer]

8. This is old news in a sense that US armed Saddam and supported

him throughout his career. Iraqgate was part of Reagan/Bush's watch.
http://www.webcom.com/~lpease/collections/hidden/teicher.htm

And since a picture is worth a thousand words...
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB82/index.htm

Republicans especially excell at this
http://www.populist.com/02.17.burns.html
:puke::argh:

[TacticalPeek]

9. KKKick KKKarl. n/t

[gratuitous]

10. We need a clearer understanding . . .

Get a load of this: "a clearer understanding of how Iraq's sanctions-busting operation worked."

I can save the investigators a lot of time and trouble. Walk up to any Republican businessman/party donor/sycophant. Hold up a dollar and watch him instinctively grasp for it. Iraq was able to bust the sanctions because Republicans would rather have money than just about anything, and they're not very picky about where it comes from or how it was made. If U.S. paper currency was replaced tomorrow with the actual bones and blood of the Iraqi dead, Republicans would still not see its connection to their accumulated wealth.

[Cocoa]

11. absurd to focus on the Iraqis role here

the Iraqis, who "gassed their own people" and put political dissidents through meat grinders while their families watched.

And now we're investigating how they violated sanctions? What's the point of that, so what if we find they're guilty, what are we going to do, invade them again?

How about investigating the U.S. companies' role?

[bobthedrummer]

12. Kick

:dem: