WASHINGTON Ñ The United States has determined that Cuba is cooperating with such
countries as Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Libya in the development of both biological and chemical
weapons.
Assistant Secretary of State Carl Ford said Cuba both exports and
imports weapons of mass destruction technology with Middle East rogue
states. He said the United States has evidence of Cuban exports of dual-use
biological weapons technology to Iran, Iraq, Syria and Libya.
"So that while I'm concerned about what Cuba and its biotechnological
capability may be providing other countries like Iran," Ford told a Senate
Foreign Relations subcommittee last week, "I'm also concerned about their
associations with countries that also have a chemical or biological warfare
capability."
U.S. officials said Libya and Syria have chemical weapons
facilities and are especially interested in advancing their nascent biological
weapons programs, Middle East Newsline reported.
"There can be an exchange of ideas, exchange of capabilities
and [the U.S. is] watching very
carefully what they're up to in Iran and Iraq, Syria, Libya, wherever else
they may be talking to people," Ford said.
Ford, who heads the intelligence and research section of the State
Department, said Cuba has not provided technology for the weaponization of biological or chemical agents.
Cuba is a signatory to the Biological Weapons Convention. Officials said
Havana possesses limited offensive biological warfare research and
development capabilities, in what appears to be a violation of the treaty.
