Donald Riegle, then chairman of the committee, said: “U.N. inspectors had identified many United States manufactured items that had been exported from the United States to Iraq under licences issued by the Department of Commerce, and [established] that these items were used to further Iraq's chemical and nuclear weapons development and its missile delivery system development programmes.”
Riegle added that, between January 1985 and August 1990, the “executive branch of our government approved 771 different export licences for sale of dual-use technology to Iraq. I think that is a devastating record”.
It is thought the information contained in the Senate committee reports is likely to make up much of the “evidence of proof” that Bush and Blair will reveal in the coming days to justify the U.S. and Britain going to war with Iraq. It is unlikely, however, that the two leaders will admit it was the Western powers that armed Saddam with these weapons of mass destruction.
However, Bush and Blair will also have to prove that Saddam still has chemical, biological and nuclear capabilities. This looks like a difficult case to clinch in view of the fact that Scott Ritter, the U.N.'s former chief weapons inspector in Iraq, says the United Nations des troyed most of Iraq's wea pons of mass destruction and doubts that Saddam could have rebuilt his stocks by now.
Riegle added that, between January 1985 and August 1990, the “executive branch of our government approved 771 different export licences for sale of dual-use technology to Iraq. I think that is a devastating record”.
It is thought the information contained in the Senate committee reports is likely to make up much of the “evidence of proof” that Bush and Blair will reveal in the coming days to justify the U.S. and Britain going to war with Iraq. It is unlikely, however, that the two leaders will admit it was the Western powers that armed Saddam with these weapons of mass destruction.
However, Bush and Blair will also have to prove that Saddam still has chemical, biological and nuclear capabilities. This looks like a difficult case to clinch in view of the fact that Scott Ritter, the U.N.'s former chief weapons inspector in Iraq, says the United Nations des troyed most of Iraq's wea pons of mass destruction and doubts that Saddam could have rebuilt his stocks by now.