A rchive Date
[ 24-12-2002 ]
Category
[ International Relations ]
sub-Categoy
[ U.S ]
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[http://www.canoe.ca/Columnists/stanway.html
Lots of evidence that Iraq is rearming
By PAUL STANWAY -- Edmonton Sun
December 24, 2002
In Canada and Europe, the popular view of Washington being peddled this Christmas is of a war-mad president whipping up his countrymen for an assault on a friendless and almost defenceless Iraq. About the only thing Saddam Hussein has going for him are the confused meanderings of Sean Penn and a gaggle of vacuous Hollywood actors opposed to U.S. military intervention.
Or so we are told.
The truth, as usual, is somewhat different. Saddam may be short of friends, but he's not short of oil or money. Despite a UN embargo on military supplies he's been able to replace at least some of the equipment lost or destroyed during the Gulf War. Despite the allegedly best efforts of the international community, the Iraqi dictator has managed to buy everything from tanks to missiles and aircraft engines.
According to Iraqi defectors, most of this equipment has come from eastern Europe. Saddam has bought tanks and spare parts from Bulgaria and Belarus, military trucks from Russia, and aircraft engines and radar systems from Ukraine. The most recent major arms shipment (in February) originated in the Czech Republic and included anti-aircraft missiles, Scud rockets and guidance systems.
Officially, the governments of these countries claim to know nothing about such arms dealing, but the possibility that missiles, tanks and other military hardware could be shipped by rail and/or sea without them knowing about it boggles the mind. In fact, intelligence sources quoted in the London Times confirmed the arms were shipped with official connivance using bogus Yemeni and Syrian export licences.
The cash-strapped countries involved in this arms smuggling to Iraq are, of course, also lining up for membership in the European Union and NATO and recently hosted a much-publicized love-fest with George W. Bush. Yet as long as the bribes are large enough they are willing to turn a blind eye to the export of arms to America's number 1 bad boy.
Contrary to the anti-American view popular within the Chretien government (in which Washington has unrestricted power to bully and coerce), this is the real world. Even the remaining global superpower must deal with the hypocrisy and double-dealing of these semi-democratic upstarts. They must be wooed.
Even more bizarre is the U.S. attitude towards Syria.
With American, British, Canadian and other warships blocking the flow of arms to Iraq's Gulf ports, the only way for arms to get to Iraq is overland. Published reports in Europe (that rarely find their way into Canadian newspapers) suggest most shipments arrive by road or rail via Syria.
Syria, as you may recall, was a member of the U.S.-led coalition during the Gulf War, but in the Middle East alliances are fickle and inevitably come with a price tag. In recent years Syria has been doing very nicely importing 150,000 to 200,000 barrels a day of cut-price Iraqi oil (in violation of UN sanctions it supported at the end of the Gulf War), which, in turn, allows it to export more of its own oil. At world prices, of course.
According to a Dec. 15 report in the London Daily Telegraph, the most recent arms shipment passed through Syria at the beginning of the month and consisted of 52 containers of spare part to upgrade Iraq's air defence systems. At the same time, Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad was blasting the U.S. for its "warmongering" and "hypocrisy." This is often referred to as the pot calling the kettle black.
Why would the allegedly all-powerful Americans allow an openly hostile Syria to defy a UN arms embargo with hardly a word of criticism?
The fact that Syria helps Iraq rearm, provides a safe haven for various terrorist groups and supports attacks on Israel from Lebanon makes it a player in the amoral world of Middle East politics. Bad behaviour means the world must negotiate for your good behaviour - which usually involves the hated Americans cutting you a cheque.
There may also be another reason for sucking up to al-Assad, which became apparent during the Syrian president's recent trip to see British PM Tony Blair in London. The visit, the first to the U.K. by a Syrian leader, was originally billed as an attempt to woo al-Assad into the anti-Iraq camp and get his co-operation in the war on terror. Blair's spin doctors attempted to portray the British-educated Syrian dictator as a cool dude whose main concern is the modernization of his country - the same sort of nonsense that was once said about Saddam.
When that didn't work, "senior sources" (i.e. Blair's communications people) explained that as Saddam Hussein's only friend in the Arab world, al-Assad was being asked to relay an 11th-hour message: War can still be avoided if Saddam "will deliver up and destroy his weapons of mass destruction."
If Saddam hasn't yet taken in that message, he never will. It's likely that Blair was also passing along a warning that Syria must stay on the sidelines when the shooting starts. Washington's patience in the buildup to this conflict has been remarkable - but it is not likely to be limitless.
History teaches that as a nation, Americans are for the most part are slow to anger and quick to forgive. But, when the shooting starts, if American casualties are made significantly more serious thanks to Iraq's re-armament, those who made that re-supply possible might wish they hadn't. Even Hollywood's peace brigade is unlikely to rush to their defence.
Letters to the editor should be sent to letters@edm.sunpub.com
 World Fact Book (CIA)]
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