RFE/RL IRAQ REPORT
Vol. 4, No. 13, 20 April 2001
A Review of Developments in Iraq Prepared by the Regional
Specialists of RFE/RL's Newsline Team
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HEADLINES:
* SADDAM RESHUFFLES HIS CABINET
* SCIRI'S MILITARY WING OPPOSES DIALOGUE WITH U.S.
* IRAN LAUNCHES SCUDS AT MUJAHEDIN-E-KHALQ BASES IN
IRAQ
* BAGHDAD SAID TO BE WITHIN SIX MONTHS OF HAVING
NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN 1991
* BAGHDAD SAID REBUILDING BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS PLANT
* CZECHS TO SUPPLY ENGINES FOR IRAQI RAILROADS
* JORDAN ASKS UN TO ALLOW BAGHDAD COMMERCIAL FLIGHTS
* AEUC TO HOLD NEXT MEETING IN BAGHDAD
* SADDAM RECEIVES ALGERIAN DELEGATION
* KURDS, UN DISCUSS ELECTRICITY ISSUE
* KDP'S BARZANI TO VISIT ANKARA AT END OF APRIL
* ASSYRIAN DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT TO HOLD THIRD CONGRESS
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SADDAM RESHUFFLES HIS CABINET. Saddam Husseyn on 18 April
reshuffled his cabinet. In the most important shift, he moved
Muhammad Sa'id Al-Sahhaf from the Foreign Ministry to the Information
Ministry and named Tariq Aziz as "interim foreign minister, Baghdad
television reported. The shifts appear to represent an effort to
strengthen the Foreign Ministry: Earlier this month, an editorial in
'Udayy Saddam Husseyn's newspaper "Babil" criticized the Iraqi team
that attended the Arab summit in Amman for not following Saddam's
advice. According to the advice, they were to avoid the issue of
lifting the sanctions against Iraq and concentrate only on the
Palestinian-Israeli issue. In other changes, Saddam named Naji Sabri
Ahmad Al-Hadithi state minister for foreign affairs and appointed
Humam 'Abd-Al-Khaliq 'Abd-Al-Ghafur minister of higher education, a
position which had been vacant. 'Abd-Al-Ghafur had been information
minister. (David Nissman)
SCIRI'S MILITARY WING OPPOSES DIALOGUE WITH U.S.
Disagreements have surfaced within the Supreme Council for the
Islamic Revolution in Iran (SCIRI) over whether to engage in a
dialogue with the United States, according to London's "Al-Hayat" on
16 April. A willingness to take part in such talks had been expressed
earlier by SCIRI Chairman Muhammad Baqir Al-Hakim. But even he
appears to have backed away from his assertion. (See "RFE/RL Iraq
Report," 13 April 2001.)
Abu-Hasan Al-Haytham, an influential member of the General
Committee, is quoted by "Al-Hayat" as saying that "neither the
General Committee, which is SCIRI's highest body, nor the Central
Shura Council has taken this decision [to engage in a dialogue with
Washington]." He stressed as well that "the principle on which SCIRI
was established rejects a dialogue with the United States, especially
in connection with the U.S. intervention in Iraq, or asking the U.S.
administration to help end the repression of the Iraqi people.
Other sources within SCIRI speaking on condition of anonymity
told the London paper that "Al-Hakim's announcement that he is
willing to engage in a dialogue with the United States has elicited
positive reactions from the Iraqis (opposed to the regime) inside and
outside the country. Al-Hakim has received many messages praising his
new step toward ending the repression of the Iraqi people. Most of
these messages were sent by the educated and intellectual elites
among the Iraqis in Tehran and Qom and outside Iran." But any wider
split within SCIRI could undoubtedly be contained if Tehran
intervenes to allow such talks to go forward. (David Nissman)
IRAN LAUNCHES SCUDS AT MUJAHEDIN-E KHALQ BASES IN IRAQ.
Doha's "Al-Jazirah Satellite Channel Television" on 18 April reported
than Iran has fired at least 48 missiles at Mujahedin-e Khalq camps
near Basra, Al-Kut, and Al-Amarah, southeast of Baghdad. AFP reported
that at least one Mujahedin was killed, and several Iraqi citizens
also. There has been no confirmation of Iraqi fatalities. Mas'ud
Rajavi, Mujahedin leader, called on the UN Security Council to
condemn the Iranian leadership for its use of "weapons of mass
destruction, for exporting crises, and warmongering." The continuing
Mujahedin presence in Iraq is a prime reasons Iran and Iraq have
still not signed a peace treaty ending the Iran-Iraq War. (David
Nissman)
BAGHDAD SAID WITHIN SIX MONTHS OF HAVING NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN
1991. An Iraqi nuclear scientist, Professor Husayn Al-Shahristani,
told London's "Al-Sharq Al-Awsat" on 15 April that Saddam Husseyn
would have produced a nuclear bomb had he delayed his invasion of
Kuwait by only six months. But because Al-Shahristani refused to
participate in a secret program to produce an atomic bomb, he was
imprisoned at Abu-Gharib prison from 1979 to 1991. He escaped during
the Gulf War and made his way to London.
Al-Shahristani said that France had helped Iraq with its
nuclear program. He said that most of the project was located in the
Al-Tuwaythah district and that Iraq had used a process he described
as the "treatment of recycled depleted nuclear fuel." He added that
the Military Industrialization Authority was responsible for building
a missile to deliver the bomb and had made good progress at a site
not far from Al-Hillah.
The exiled scientist said that now Iraq's current nuclear
program is centered under Jabal Himrin in northern Iraq. And he said
that he believes Iraq still has enough depleted nuclear fuel for at
least two weapons. (David Nissman)
BAGHDAD SAID REBUILDING BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS PLANT. Under the
pretext of responding to the spread of hoof-and-mouth disease, Saddam
Husseyn is rebuilding a plant at Al-Daura that was used to make
biological weapons during the Gulf War, London's "Sunday Times"
reported on 15 April. But as of this date, Baghdad has said that Iraq
is free of any incidence of foot-and-mouth disease.
Iraq sent a letter to the UN Security Council saying that
Baghdad "will contact specialist companies with a view to the
renovation of laboratories for the production of foot-and-mouth
vaccine." And it warned against "attempts by the U.S. and Britain to
obstruct the renovation of the laboratories."
A British government specialist on biological weapons said that
"we have no reason to trust Saddam and every reason to believe he
will subvert the laboratories for military use," the British paper
said. UN inspectors discovered in 1995 that the Al-Daura plant made
botulinum toxin and conducted research on viral warfare agents,
including infective haemorraghic conjunctivitis. (David Nissman
CZECHS TO SUPPLY ENGINES FOR IRAQI RAILROADS. The Diesel
International (DI) company of the Czech Republic has received a
contract worth 140 million crowns ($3.7 million), according to a
report in the Prague newspaper "Hospodarske Noviny" of 10 April. A
joint owner of DI, Radomir Bumbala, said that these contracts are
being realized under the UN oil-for-food deal. He added that it takes
a long time before one is finally paid because the UN commissioner
who supervises the import of goods into Iraq has to supply
confirmation - before the goods pass into Iraq - that the
consignment cannot be misused for weapons systems. But when Prague's
"Hospodarske Noviny" queried DI General Director Petr Skara, he
denied Bumbala's information. (David Nissman)
JORDAN ASKS UN TO ALLOW BAGHDAD COMMERCIAL FLIGHTS. The
"Jordan Times" reported on 17 April that Amman has asked the UN for
permission to resume regular Baghdad-bound flights. Deputy Prime
Minister and Minister of Transport Saleh Irsheyday said "we asked for
new arrangements, reduced times, and facilitated procedures with
regard to passenger flights." He said that these arrangements will
lead to the establishment of regular air routes from Amman to
Baghdad, the first since August, 1990. Foreign Minister Abdul Ilah
Khatib said last week in Washington that the national air carrier was
preparing to launch regular flights to Baghdad. Since Royal
Jordanian's first charter flight to Baghdad on 30 November 2000, it
has scheduled twice-weekly flights to Baghdad, but each must adhere
to UN procedures and requires Sanctions Committee approval 48 hours
before departure. (David Nissman)
AEUC TO HOLD NEXT MEETING IN BAGHDAD. The Arab Economic Unity
Council (AEUC) and Iraq have agreed to hold its next meeting in
Baghdad in early June, reported the "Syria Times" on 14 April. The
decision to do so was taken at a meeting held between Secretary-
General of the AEUC Dr. Ahmad Juwaili and Iraqi permanent delegate to
the Arab League Muhsin Khalil at Arab League headquarters in Cairo.
Dr. Juwaili stressed that the current Arab position stipulates that
efforts be made to lift the embargo imposed on Iraq. Moving the
meeting to Baghdad is an expression of the extent of Arab solidarity
with Iraq to lift the embargo. And he pointed to the need to develop
joint Arab economic cooperation in order to face world economic
blocs. (David Nissman)
SADDAM RECEIVES ALGERIAN DELEGATION. The Algerian Business
Forum, consisting of a delegation of 150 people, visited Iraq 15-18
April, Algiers' "Al-Watan" reported on 15 April. They brought with
them two tons of medicine and ten tons of school equipment. Saddam
Husseyn received the leaders of the delegation and said that
Algerians understand Iraq because "you are a country of
revolutionaries and martyrs," too. (David Nissman)
KURDS, UN DISCUSS ELECTRICITY ISSUE. Two Kurdish groups met
with UN officials to discuss supplying electricity to Kurdistan,
Sulaymaniyah's "Kurdistani Nuwe" reported on 11 April. Baghdad wants
any arrangements to be linked to the central Iraqi system, something
some Kurds fear could lessen their control of the region. Adnan
Mufti, head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) delegation,
said that the UN's approach was positive; they wanted to facilitate
the work in order to benefit the people of Kurdistan. He added that
they are going to meet on a monthly basis. And the head of the
Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) delegation, Sami Abd Al-Rahman, said
that the PUK and KDP committees should be coordinated to implement
Resolution 985. (David Nissman)
KDP'S BARZANI TO VISIT ANKARA AT THE END OF APRIL. The
leader of the KDP, Mas'ud Barzani, is expected to visit Ankara at the
end of the month to have talks with senior Turkish authorities
officials about the situation in Iraqi Kurdistan. According to the
"Turkish Daily News" of 12 April, his visit is also important because
the new U.S. administration "has tightened it grip" on Iraq in an
effort to end the Saddam regime. The Bush administration has made it
clear, the paper said, that it plans to empower the Iraq National
Congress to fight more effectively against Saddam and asked its
allies to support its new policy, a request to which Turkey has
responded cautiously. (David Nissman)
ASSYRIAN DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT HOLDS THIRD CONGRESS. The
Assyrian Democratic Movement held its Third Congress in the cities of
Irbil and Shaqlawa on 22-24 March. A new Executive Committee was
elected by the 136 representatives to "stabilize the democratic
practice, ideology, and organization." Yacob Yousip (Yonadam Kanna)
was elected secretary-general, according to "Zinda" of 10 April. Mr
Yousib's predecessor, Ninos Petya, had decided not to run again. On
29 March, Yousib had visited Mas'ud Barzani, chairman of the KDP, and
Jalal Talabani, leader of the PUK. (David Nissman)
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