Masters of deception: U.S. call Iraq, Libya slippery on WMD
SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Monday, April 9, 2001
WASHINGTON — Iraq and Libya have managed to successfully conceal
their weapons of mass destruction programs.
U.S. officials said the effort has kept both chemical and biological
weapons programs concealed from international inspectors and call into
question the effectiveness of the Chemical Weapons Treaty and the Biological
Weapons Treaty.
Iraq and Libya, the officials said, are masters at deception and denial.
The result is international pressure on Washington to conclude that both
Arab countries do not engage in WMD programs, Middle East Newsline reports.
The conclusion is part of a review being undertaken by the Bush
adminstration regarding its agenda for arms control policies. Some officials
said the administration will be far more skeptical in endorsing
international nonproliferation treaties that can't be verified.
U.S. officials said the CWC and BWC are the most difficult to verify
because of they utilize dual-use component. The elements used for
biological weapons are the same as those used by the pharmaceutical
industry.
"The Libyans and Iraqis undertake methods of covering up their programs
so that you can't find them or
won't even know that they have them," Assistant Secretary of State for
Verification and Compliance Owen
Sheaks said. "A lot of the time people will say we don't have any
information that Iraq is violating their chemical commitments. We respond,
yes, because they're really good at covering it up. It doesn't mean they
don't have it."
Sheaks said in an interview to the U.S. government Washington File that
the administration will conclude a review on arms control agreements by the
end of the year. He said his office would "establish rigorous processes that
sort through information to answer the real questions about our arms control
concerns."
"All programs that have to do with weapons of mass destruction are under
review in this administration — not to say that they necessarily will be
changed, but they are under review," Sheaks said.
Monday, April 9, 2001
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