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Iraqi Scientist: Program? What Nuclear Program?

Jimmie | August 12, 2004 | Comments (0)

The former head of Iraq’s nuclear program revealed two interesting things in a recent BBC interview.

First, that Hussein had ordered the destruction of nuclear program equipment in 1991 and that the equipment was handed over to his Republican Guard so it could be done.

Second, that Iraq was not trying to buy yellowcake uranium after 1998. Why? Because they already had 500 tons of it. They just didn’t need anymore.

Here’s a good quote from the story.

“Saddam took a decision in July 1991 to abandon the program and destroy what remained of its equipment. We had orders to hand over the equipment to the Republican Guards, to the Special Republican Guards, and they had orders to destroy the equipment that we handed over to them.”

Jafar added: “Everything was destroyed, such that the program couldn’t be restarted at the time at all and never restarted.”

Now before you’re deafened by the “Aha”ing from the left, I want to ask a question. It’s a small one and probably won’t occupy your mind. Oh, and there’s a follow-up, too.

If Hussein had destroyed all the equipment from his nuclear program back in 1991 and decided to abandon the program why, exactly, did he have 500 tons of yellowcake uranium sitting around in Baghdad in 1998? As Jafar said in the interview, “We had 500 tons of yellow cake in Baghdad at the time so why should we go buy another 500 tons from Niger?”

No, I guess they wouldn’t need that uranium. That doesn’t obviate that every indication was that they were after it. That also makes me wonder just how the inspectors managed to miss that much uranium in Baghdad.

But, really, the first question’s more important to me. Why have 500 tons of uranium without the equipment or will to use it? Unless, of course, this man’s a Hussein loyalist (as he apparently says he is) and he’s lying through his teeth. Think that’s possible? Probable?