[PEN-L:335] Crashed airliner carried

["Frank Durgin" <fdurgin1@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>From Electronic Telegraph  <http://www.telegraph.co.uk>


                              Crashed airliner carried
                              chemical used in nerve gas
                              By Paul Marston, Transport Correspondent


                              AN Israeli cargo plane that crashed into a
                              block of flats in Amsterdam six years ago
                              was carrying a chemical used to make the
                              lethal nerve gas sarin, it emerged
                              yesterday.

                              The disaster, which involved an El Al
                              Boeing 747, killed four crew and 39 people
                              on the ground. Hundreds of residents living
                              near the site have complained of
                              unexplained illnesses.

                              The Dutch government confirmed that the
                              aircraft, which had just made an
                              intermediate stop in Amsterdam en route
                              between New York and Tel Aviv, had 42
                              gallons of dimethyl methylphosphonate
                              (DMMP) on board.

                              The chemical is regarded as a crucial
                              component for sarin, which was used in a
                              terrorist attack on the Tokyo underground
                              in 1995, killing six passengers and
                              harming more than 3,000.

                              The flight's dangerous goods shipping
                              declaration named the destination for the
                              chemical as the Israel Institute for
                              Biological Research, near Tel Aviv. The
                              institute is alleged to be a military
facility.

                              The Israeli government has accused Syria,
                              Iraq and Iran of developing chemical and
                              bacteriological arms but has never
                              acknowledged that it has its own
                              programme for weapons of mass
                              destruction. There have been concerns
                              about the content of the cargo hold ever
                              since the crash, which occurred after one of
                              the aircraft's engines sheared off.

                              Six months ago, the Dutch Health Ministry
                              ordered an inquiry into claims that
                              exposure to depleted uranium, used as
                              wing ballast, had led to health problems in
                              local people and rescue workers. Health
                              officials pledged yesterday to widen their
                              investigation to include any effects from
                              DMMP.

                              Transport officials said details of the
                              shipping declaration had been passed to
                              parliament two years ago, but MPs
                              complained that the significance of the
                              cargo had not been explained. Dutch
                              politicians were shocked that the
                              documents were under their noses for more
                              than two years.

                              A spokesman for the Liberals, who govern
                              in coalition with Labour said: "It's possible
                              that parliament itself should shoulder some
                              of the blame. Strange things have
                              happened." El Al said that it had told the
                              Dutch authorities what the cargo contained
                              immediately after the accident. A
                              spokesman said: "We have not tried to hide
                              anything."

                              Shaul Yahalom, the Israeli Transport
                              Minister, ordered the Civil Aviation
                              Authority to investigate what was in the
                              hold of the plane after a Dutch newspaper
                              reported that it carried the chemicals.
                              Nachman Klieman, an El Al spokesman,
                              said: "The cargo documentation states that
                              DMMP was on the plane, that it was packed
                              in accordance with the international
                              regulations governing uplift of this material
                              and the document was signed by the
                              captain of the aircraft stating that
                              everything was in order prior to departure.
                              All these documents were turned over to the
                              Dutch authorities following the accident."

                              The man who headed Israel's investigation
                              of the crash, Reserve Maj-Gen Amos
                              Lapidot, asked if DMMP was part of the
                              cargo, told Israel's army radio: "It is
                              possible that was part of the cargo, so
                              what? They are chemicals that are used for
                              various purposes and known throughout
                              the world. We don't buy chemical weapons
                              materials from abroad. This is nonsense."

                              4 September 1998: Disaster on the 'UN
                              airbus'
                              31 August 1998: 78 die as Cuba jet crashes
                              into children's soccer game
                              25 June 1998: 80 feared dead in air crash
                              28 May 1998: 28 killed in Mongolian plane





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