Of course, Saddam had no active nuclear program. And, officials weren't concerned about this Yellowcake, because it had been "safeguarded".
From MSNBC:
Nothing to worry about at all.The last major remnant of Saddam Hussein's nuclear program — a huge
stockpile of concentrated natural uranium — reached a Canadian port Saturday to
complete a secret U.S. operation that included a two-week airlift from Baghdad
and a ship voyage crossing two oceans.
The removal of 550 metric tons of "yellowcake" — the seed material for
higher-grade nuclear enrichment — was a significant step toward closing the
books on Saddam's nuclear legacy. It also brought relief to U.S. and Iraqi
authorities who had worried the cache would reach insurgents or smugglers
crossing to Iran to aid its nuclear ambitions.
What's now left is the final and complicated push to clean up the
remaining radioactive debris at the former Tuwaitha nuclear complex about 12
miles south of Baghdad — using teams that include Iraqi experts recently trained
in the Chernobyl fallout zone in Ukraine.Tuwaitha and an adjacent research facility were well known for decades as the centerpiece of Saddam's nuclear efforts.
Israeli warplanes bombed a reactor project at the site in 1981. Later, U.N. inspectors documented and safeguarded the yellowcake, which had been stored in aging drums and containers since before the 1991 Gulf War. There was no evidence of any yellowcake dating from after 1991, the official said.
6 comments:
This uranium was formally declared and handed over to the IAEA following the Gulf War in 1991.
You place 'safeguarded' in quotation marks. Why? Do you mean to suggest this material was not seriously protected? If that is so, then why didn't Saddam Hussein reclaim this uranium for his secret nuclear bomb programme? (as opposed to allegedly shopping about for the stuff in Africa)
Your post makes no sense whatsoever.
For your information, the plant at Tuwaitha was gutted extensively, and was closely monitored by the IAEA Action Team.
It amazes me how many people weren't paying attention -- then as now.
Tom H,
Perhaps I should have connected the dots a little better, for those who weren't paying attention (like maybe you):
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/brad-wilmouth/2007/11/12/nbc-reports-saddam-hussein-planned-re-start-nuclear-program
Pete Williams (NBC Nightly News): PETE WILLIAMS: Saddam Hussein told his American captors that he so feared Iran, he wanted Iranian leaders to believe that he had nuclear and biological weapons. So he planned to fool the U.S. by, among other things, stalling U.N. inspectors to make it appear he had something to hide, weapons of mass destruction or WMD. But he hoped the post-Gulf War sanctions on Iraq would dissolve, allowing him to pursue a nuclear capability. That's what he told the only American to extensively debrief him after he was captured in 2003, according to investigative reporter Ron Kessler.
Iraq has had a fanatically pro-Iranian government in place since 2003.
Cause for concern?
No cause for concern, Michael. The Yellowcake has been "safeguarded."
I hope Tom doesn't get mad at me for doubting that United Nations seals can't be broken.
"Saddam Hussein told his American captors that he so feared Iran, he wanted Iranian leaders to believe that he had nuclear and biological weapons. So he planned to fool the U.S. by, among other things, stalling U.N. inspectors to make it appear he had something to hide, [...] according to investigative reporter Ron Kessler."
Non sequitur.
Ron Kessler's single source is George Pero, one of many people to speak with Saddam Hussein after the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Pero's account is unsupported by documentary evidence.
Here is another source:
"Asked whether Iraq had active stockpiles of WMD in 2003, he [Saddam] reportedly answered: "No, of course not. The U.S. dreamed them up itself to have a reason to go to war with us." [1]
You have avoided the original question. Answer it or don't, but please don't throw any more crap at me.
[1] http://tinyurl.com/6dzvxu
Tom,
My answer, whether you want to accept it or not, is that I don't believe Yellowcake left in Iraq is safeguarded.
I don't believe he could not have broken the seals on the containers.
I don't believe he would have hesitated to do so, the minute we left him alone.
You are making a different argument. You believe we lied to go to war. Fine, if that's what you believe, I'm not going to change your opinion at this late date.
But, the fact is, Hussein did have WMD's at this disposal, the minute we left him alone.
How long are we supposed to enforce sanctions on a man like Saddam?
And, how is it that the Bush Administration didn't emphasize the fact that, by shooting at our Air Force almost every day for several years, Hussein had broken his peace treaty, and we had the right to go back to war.
If Bush had emphasized that, instead of the idea of an active WMD campaign, then you wouldn't have much to talk about? Because, we had international law on our side. However, we had a UNSC full of nations who were unwilling to enforce the agreements they had made post-Gulf War.
When looked at in the perspective of history, this is not surprising. France, England and Russia didn't stand behind their agreements with Chekoslovakia either.
That's the way the world works. The minute a law is set, a million lawyers set to work looking for loopholes and places to bend it.
And then, people who want to break the law use the work of the lawyers to get away with their immorality.
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