USA lied about Iraq's weapons
A US-based Norwegian weapons inspector accuses the USA and Secretary of
State Colin Powell with providing the United Nations Security Council with
incorrect and misleading information about Iraq's possession of weapons of
mass destruction (WMD), newspaper Dagbladet reports.
Jørn Siljeholm during a weapons inspection in Baghdad in January.
Joern Siljeholm, Ph.D. in environmental chemistry, risk analysis and
toxicology, said that the USA's basis for going to war is thin indeed, and
called it a slap in the face to the United Nations weapons inspectors.
Siljeholm told Dagbladet that Colin Powell's report to the Security Council
on how Iraq camouflaged their WMD program was full of holes.
"Much of what he said was wrong. It did not match up at all with our
information. The entire speech was misleading," Siljeholm said.
Asked if the Americans lied, Siljeholm said: "Lie is a strong word - but
yes, the information Powell presented about Iraq's nuclear program was
simply incorrect," Siljeholm said.
"We received much incomplete and poor intelligence information from the
Americans, and our cooperation developed accordingly. Much of what has been
claimed about WMDs has proven to be sheer nonsense. From what I have seen
they are going to war on very little," Siljeholm told Dagbladet.
After 100 days in Iraq, Siljeholm, now a researcher at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology in Boston, is on holiday in Florida with his family.
"I strongly doubt that the American will find anything at all. In any case
I doubt that they will find WMDs that constitute a military threat,"
Siljeholm said.
Siljeholm said that his thoughts are now with the Iraqi people he met, and
who cooperated with the inspectors.
"It is a weary country with many weary people. The people want peace,"
Siljeholm said.
http://www.aftenposten.no/english/world/article.jhtml?articleID=511811
