[Rhodes22-list] Arms Inspector response to GWB SOTU Address

[bberner@optonline.net]

   I heard Mohammed al Barady, director of the  International Atomic
   Energy Institute (I may be dlightly off on the name of the agency),
   and head of the inspection team on Iraqs nuclear weapons program
   interviewed last night.

   He had a couple of comments on things that GWB said about Iraq's
   nuclear weapons program, I found intstructive.

   First, he said that while it is possible that the aluminum tubes that
   Saddam imported, and Bush cited as evidence of a nuclear weapons
   program, could be used for that purpose, it is extremely unlikely, as
   they would require extensive modifications.  The more likely, and
   amittedly only somewhat less distrubing, use is for building
   conventional missiles.

   Second, responding to Bush's statement that the US
   possesses intelligence that proves Hussein has purchased enriched
   uranium, al Barady (again remember he is working for the UN
   determining whether Iraq has or is developing nukes) said that despite
   numerous requests to examine that intelligence over the last 2 months,
   it has not been produced.  In my mind, and his implication seems to
   be, that the intelligence may not actually exist or wouldn't stand up
   to scrutiny.  Maybe Powell will shed some light on this when he speaks
   to the Security Council next week.

   Now this is not to say that Mohammed al Barady believes that Iraq
   doesn't have a nuke program.  He only says that there is no proof at
   this point.  He did say that he believes that permitted to continue
   inspections for another couple of months his team could determine with
   certainty whether such a program exists or not.

   BB
   Bill Berner
   v: 914.478.2896
   f: 914.478.3856
   e: BBerner@optonline.net