Features

mburbank · #1

Iraqi Mobile Labs Nothing to do with Germ Warfare, Report Finds
Peter Beaumont, Antony Barnett and Gaby Hinsliff
The Observer

Sunday 15 June 2003

An official British investigation into two trailers found in northern Iraq has concluded they are not mobile germ warfare labs, as was claimed by Tony Blair and President George Bush, but were for the production of hydrogen to fill artillery balloons, as the Iraqis have continued to insist.

The conclusion by biological weapons experts working for the British Government is an embarrassment for the Prime Minister, who has claimed that the discovery of the labs proved that Iraq retained weapons of mass destruction and justified the case for going to war against Saddam Hussein.

Instead, a British scientist and biological weapons expert, who has examined the trailers in Iraq, told The Observer last week: 'They are not mobile germ warfare laboratories. You could not use them for making biological weapons. They do not even look like them. They are exactly what the Iraqis said they were - facilities for the production of hydrogen gas to fill balloons.'

The conclusion of the investigation ordered by the British Government - and revealed by The Observer last week - is hugely embarrassing for Blair, who had used the discovery of the alleged mobile labs as part of his efforts to silence criticism over the failure of Britain and the US to find any weapons of mass destruction since the invasion of Iraq.

The row is expected to be re-ignited this week with Robin Cook and Clare Short, the two Cabinet Ministers who resigned over the war, both due to give evidence to a House of Commons inquiry into whether intelligence was manipulated in the run-up to the war. It will be the first time that both have been grilled by their peers on the Foreign Affairs Select Committee over what the Cabinet was told in the run-up to the war.

MPs will be keen to explore Cook's explanation when he resigned that, while he believed Iraq did have some WMD capability, he did not believe it was weaponised.

The Prime Minister and his director of strategy and communications, Alastair Campbell, are expected to decline invitations to appear. While MPs could attempt to force them, this is now thought unlikely to happen.

The Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, is expected to give evidence the week after.

The revelation that the mobile labs were to produce hydrogen for artillery balloons will also cause discomfort for the British authorities because the Iraqi army's original system was sold to it by the British company, Marconi Command & Control.

Weren't these the mobile labs that both Bush and Powell said 'could not be used for any other purpose'. ? This is early in the news cycle to be certain of anything, but I'd say it was pretty clear at very least that they could be used to, say, produce hydrogen for artillery balloons.

Protoclown · #2

Well. Frankly, I'm shocked.

mburbank · #3

I actually am. I mean, surely our intelligence folks knew that eventually there would be some independent examiniation of these trucks.

Mightn't they have gone with "These may be mobile weapons labs" or these "Could be mobile weapons labs"? How many 'smoking guns' so far have turned out to be water pistols? Do we have to sacrafice ALL our countries credability? Couldn't we keep some of it for a rainy day?

mburbank · #4

Update: The State department now agrees that these may well not be chemical weapons labs. It also seems the CIA issued their white paper without allowing the State department to see the trucks, or even notifying them they were releasing an intelligence finding.

Isaac · #5

I was kinda leaning towards them just being regualr semi's just shipping what ever they're shipping...but hydrogen works to...

The_Rorschach · #6

Flog at it as you might, but a dead horse doesn't move.

I think everyone is well aware of the contrived rationales behind Bush's private and illegal little war. I'll be content to sit here and wait for his run for office so I can vote against him once again as I did during his first campaign.

Isaac · #7

shouldn't he be tried for murder or something

ranxer · #8

there's a list of impeachable offences.. www.votetoimpeach.org has 17 articles of impeachment

Wouldn't lies that lead to the death of americans be considered treasonous? I guess someone would have to prove he know they were lies before hand.. damn, a simpleton is the perfect tool.

it's unreal that clinton can get impeached for denying that he got a blowjob and bush can kill tens of thousands of people based on lies and seem to get away with it. we even have hundreds of thousands of people around the country shouting IMPEACH BUSH!
clinton was impeached from inside washington without much public outcry(that i noticed).. now we have lots of public outcry and little response from inside washington, what's it MEAN!?

Isaac · #9

I don't believe the death toll, from all conflicts and all sides, has exceded 20,000 yet.

VinceZeb · #10

ranxer and Ror would believe Bush is a super Nazi cyborg if an "independant" source reported it.

ranxer · #11

bah shucks, well, i grouped two lies together..
tens of thousands have been killed if you include our attack on afghanistan..
i tend to think of them together since i don't think the administration was telling the truth about why we went there either. too bad the corps didnt find as much oil and natural gas in the caspian sea as they expected .. oops.