Iraq has no weapons of mass destruction, president says
Iraq-Turkey, Politics, 2/9/2002

Iraq's President Saddam Hussein sent a letter to Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit in response to his letter on 2 February, 2002 saying "Iraq has no weapons of mass destruction and has no intention of making them. Iraq is the first who eagerly wants our region devoid of weapons of mass destruction," the official news agency reported today.

The President said that "Turkey, Iraq and all the countries in the region have to preserve security and stability in the region. The most important thing for all of us is to work together to make our region (the Middle East) empty of weapons of mass destruction; biological, Chemical and nuclear weapons. This aim was determined by article 14 of Security Council resolution 687, which was issued in 1991.

"The United States knew that Iraq implemented all its obligations towards the Security Council resolutions; it is incumbent on the U.S to implement its reciprocal commitments towards Iraq, in the first place. Lifting the embargo off Iraq and implement para 14 of the said resolution (article 14 of Security Council resolution 687). But the United States have fabricated pretexts and troubles to avert implementing its obligations directly or by sending inspection teams to hundreds of military, industry and scientific sites, yet they failed, under the pressure of America, to give an honest and fair report that they end their tasks completely although the former Chief of the Special Commission Ekeus told media before his resignation that the Special Commission implemented 95% of its task. Also the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed in its reports, the last of which was issued in July 1998, that Iraq has no nuclear capabilities," the report said.

"In December 16, 1998, inspectors left Iraq at the demand of the United States without the agreement of the Security Council or the Secretary-General and the U.S and Britain launched in that night unjustified airstrikes under a false pretext that 'Iraq was uncooperative with inspectors'. Such unjustified aggression happened with unilaterally American-British decision with no authorization from the Security Council. That aggression was happened on the base of power and opportunity not on the base of right and law. Therefore, the Iraqi issue should not be discussed by responding to American aggressive haughtiness but it should be discussed within the framework of right and law. The United States firstly has to abandon its hostile policies of imposing the embargo and of continuous military aggression in the north and south of Iraq, and of interfering in Iraq's internal affairs. If such aggressive intentions remain in place, there were no comprehensive solution based on international law and the Security Council resolutions. America, at any time and under any condition, can directly fabricate false pretexts or use its power in the inspection teams to launch aggression and this was happened earlier. Therefore, countries in this region should work to confront such policy and refuse subjugation, the report added.

"Iraq has no weapons of mass destruction and has no intention of making them. Iraq is the first which eagerly wants our region devoid of weapons of mass destruction," President Saddam Hussein said INA reported quoting the President as saying "We expect that Turkey complies with principles of good neighborliness and the international law. And confronts, with a balanced and wise stance, American aggressive threats, especially there are many states in the region, some of them are supporters to America, openly opposed such haughty aggressive threats."

Previous Stories:
  Turkey for preserving Iraqi territorial integrity   (2/5/2002)
  Turkish security circles and Iraq   (1/21/2002)
  Al-Barazani and the Kurdish state   (1/15/2002)

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