Are we seriously to believe that a country that permitted such thorough,
intrusive and effective inspections leading to 90-95% disarmament just four
years ago, is suddenly hell-bent on secretly developing weapons of mass
destruction now? How could this be when, as Ritter says, such efforts would
be easily detectable by modern technology? Thus on the reconstruction of
Iraq's chemical weapons capability, Ritter says:
"If no one were watching, Iraq could do this. But just as with the nuclear
weapons programme, they'd have to start from scratch, having been deprived
of all equipment, facilities and research. They'd have to procure the
complicated tools and technology required through front companies. This
would be detected. The manufacture of chemical weapons emits vented gases
that would have been detected by now if they existed. We've been watching,
via satellite and other means, and have seen none of this. If Iraq was
producing weapons today, we'd have definitive proof, plain and simple."
(p.32-3)
Relying on public ignorance of the true extent of Iraqi cooperation with
arms inspectors, and the true extent to which inspectors were successful in
disarming Iraq, warmongers argue that Iraq must have something to hide
because it "kicked out" the inspectors in 1998 and has since refused to
permit their return. This is a crucial lie, which, as we will see in the
two-part Media Alert that follows, the media has played a central role in
protecting.
intrusive and effective inspections leading to 90-95% disarmament just four
years ago, is suddenly hell-bent on secretly developing weapons of mass
destruction now? How could this be when, as Ritter says, such efforts would
be easily detectable by modern technology? Thus on the reconstruction of
Iraq's chemical weapons capability, Ritter says:
"If no one were watching, Iraq could do this. But just as with the nuclear
weapons programme, they'd have to start from scratch, having been deprived
of all equipment, facilities and research. They'd have to procure the
complicated tools and technology required through front companies. This
would be detected. The manufacture of chemical weapons emits vented gases
that would have been detected by now if they existed. We've been watching,
via satellite and other means, and have seen none of this. If Iraq was
producing weapons today, we'd have definitive proof, plain and simple."
(p.32-3)
Relying on public ignorance of the true extent of Iraqi cooperation with
arms inspectors, and the true extent to which inspectors were successful in
disarming Iraq, warmongers argue that Iraq must have something to hide
because it "kicked out" the inspectors in 1998 and has since refused to
permit their return. This is a crucial lie, which, as we will see in the
two-part Media Alert that follows, the media has played a central role in
protecting.