[A-List] US imperialism: Iraq then and now

["Keaney Michael" <Michael.Keaney@xxxxxx>]

'US gave Iraq intelligence aid'
By David Usborne
The Independent, 19 August 2002

The United States gave Iraq important intelligence assistance during its
war against Iran in the late 1980s, even though Washington was aware of
Baghdad's plans to deploy chemical weapons against the enemy, a
newspaper report claimed yesterday.

Senior officials denied the allegation made in a report published in The
New York Times. But if true, it would seem to undermine the moral case
presented by the current White House administration to topple the Iraqi
leader, Saddam Hussein. At worst, it would seem to expose American
hypocrisy.

Citing sources that chose to remain anonymous, the newspaper said that
about 60 officials with the Defense Intelligence Agency, DIA, were
engaged in a covert programme to help Iraq analyse Iran's battle tactics
during the 1981-88 conflict. The Ronald Reagan administration made no
secret of its wish that Iraq should defeat Iran.

Senior US officer Colonel Rick Francona was reported to have seen
evidence of the use of gas by Iraq in its push in early 1988 to retake
the Fao peninsula to recover access to the Persian Gulf.

At the same time, senior officials, including the then National Security
Adviser, General Colin Powell,were condemning Iraq for resorting to
chemical weapons to win victories.

Mr Powell, now serving President George Bush as US Secretary of State,
adamantly denied the claims, however.

A spokesman for Mr Powell said that the description of the programme by
the officers was "dead wrong". There was no comment from the DIA or from
the White House.

The substances used by Iraq in the war were mustard gas, sarin, VX and
other poisonous agents. Only on Thursday, in an interview with the BBC,
the current National Security advisor, Condoleezza Rice, cited used by
Iraq of such weapons as key to Washington's case for displacing Saddam.