The man who served as the no. 2 official in Saddam Hussein's air force
says Iraq moved weapons of mass destruction into Syria before the war
by loading the weapons into civilian aircraft in which the passenger
seats were removed.

The Iraqi general, Georges Sada, makes the charges in a new book,
"Saddam's Secrets," released this week. He detailed the transfers in an
interview yesterday with The New York Sun.

"There are weapons of mass destruction gone out from Iraq to Syria, and
they must be found and returned to safe hands," Mr. Sada said. "I am
confident they were taken over."

Mr. Sada's comments come just more than a month after Israel's top
general during Operation Iraqi Freedom, Moshe Yaalon, told the Sun that
Saddam "transferred the chemical agents from Iraq to Syria."

Democrats have made the absence of stockpiles of weapons of mass
destruction in Iraq a theme in their criticism of the Bush
administration's decision to go to war in 2003. And President Bush
himself has conceded much of the point; in a televised prime-time
address to Americans last month, he said, "It is true that many nations
believed that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. But much of the
intelligence turned out to be wrong."

Said Mr. Bush, "We did not find those weapons."

The discovery of the weapons in Syria could alter the American
political debate on the Iraq war. And even the accusations that they
are there could step up international pressure on the government in
Damascus. That government, led by Bashar Assad, is already facing a
U.N. investigation over its alleged role in the assassination of a
former prime minister of Lebanon. The Bush administration has
criticized Syria for its support of terrorism and its failure to
cooperate with the U.N. investigation.

The State Department recently granted visas for self-proclaimed
opponents of Mr. Assad to attend a "Syrian National Council" meeting in
Washington scheduled for this weekend, even though the attendees
include communists, Baathists, and members of the Islamist Muslim
Brotherhood group to the exclusion of other, more mainstream groups.
Mr. Sada, 65, told the Sun that the pilots of the two airliners that
transported the weapons of mass destruction to Syria from Iraq
approached him in the middle of 2004, after Saddam was captured by
American troops.

"I know them very well. They are very good friends of mine. We trust
each other. We are friends as pilots," Mr. Sada said of the two pilots.
He declined to disclose their names, saying they are concerned for
their safety. But he said they are now employed by other airlines
outside Iraq.

The pilots told Mr. Sada that two Iraqi Airways Boeings were converted
to cargo planes by removing the seats, Mr. Sada said. Then Special
Republican Guard brigades loaded materials onto the planes, he said,
including "yellow barrels with skull and crossbones on each barrel."
The pilots said there was also a ground convoy of trucks.
The flights - 56 in total, Mr. Sada said - attracted little notice
because they were thought to be civilian flights providing relief from
Iraq to Syria, which had suffered a flood after a dam collapse in June
of 2002.

"Saddam realized, this time, the Americans are coming," Mr. Sada said.
"They handed over the weapons of mass destruction to the Syrians."

Mr. Sada said that the Iraqi official responsible for transferring the
weapons was a cousin of Saddam Hussein named Ali Hussein al-Majid,
known as "Chemical Ali." The Syrian official responsible for receiving
them was a cousin of Bashar Assad who is known variously as General Abu
Ali, Abu Himma, or Zulhimawe.

Short of discovering the weapons in Syria, those seeking to validate
Mr. Sada's claim independently will face difficulty. His book contains
a foreword by a retired U.S. Air Force colonel, David Eberly, who was a
prisoner of war in Iraq during the first Gulf War and who vouches for
Mr. Sada, who once held him captive, as "an honest and honorable man."

In his visit to the Sun yesterday, Mr. Sada was accompanied by Terry
Law, the president of a Tulsa, Oklahoma based Christian humanitarian
organization called World Compassion. Mr. Law said he has known Mr.
Sada since 2002, lived in his house in Iraq and had Mr. Sada as a guest
in his home in America. "Do I believe this man? Yes," Mr. Law said.
"It's been solid down the line and everything checked out."
Said Mr. Law, "This is not a publicity hound. This is a man who wants
peace putting his family on the line."

Mr. Sada acknowledged that the disclosures about transfers of weapons
of mass destruction are "a very delicate issue." He said he was afraid
for his family. "I am sure the terrorists will not like it.

The Saddamists will not like it," he said.

He thanked the American troops. "They liberated the country and the
nation. It is a liberation force. They did a great job," he said. "We
have been freed."

He said he had not shared his story until now with any American
officials. "I kept everything secret in my heart," he said. But he is
scheduled to meet next week in Washington with Senators Sessions and
Inhofe, Republicans of, respectively, Alabama and Oklahoma. Both are
members of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The book also says that on the eve of the first Gulf War, Saddam was
planning to use his air force to launch a chemical weapons attack on
Israel.

When, during an interview with the Sun in April 2004, Vice President
Cheney was asked whether he thought that Iraqi weapons of mass
destruction had been moved to Syria, Mr. Cheney replied only that he
had seen such reports.
http://www.nysun.com/article/26514

Sounds like you're in the know, Joe. Gotta get yurself one of this:
http://www.shopmetrospy.com/ Show the ragheads your care.

Are you a veterin?

Lloyd

"Joe" wrote in message
oups.com...
The man who served as the no. 2 official in Saddam Hussein's air force
says Iraq moved weapons of mass destruction into Syria before the war
by loading the weapons into civilian aircraft in which the passenger
seats were removed.

The Iraqi general, Georges Sada, makes the charges in a new book,
"Saddam's Secrets," released this week. He detailed the transfers in an
interview yesterday with The New York Sun.

"There are weapons of mass destruction gone out from Iraq to Syria, and
they must be found and returned to safe hands," Mr. Sada said. "I am
confident they were taken over."

Mr. Sada's comments come just more than a month after Israel's top
general during Operation Iraqi Freedom, Moshe Yaalon, told the Sun that
Saddam "transferred the chemical agents from Iraq to Syria."

Democrats have made the absence of stockpiles of weapons of mass
destruction in Iraq a theme in their criticism of the Bush
administration's decision to go to war in 2003. And President Bush
himself has conceded much of the point; in a televised prime-time
address to Americans last month, he said, "It is true that many nations
believed that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. But much of the
intelligence turned out to be wrong."

Said Mr. Bush, "We did not find those weapons."

The discovery of the weapons in Syria could alter the American
political debate on the Iraq war. And even the accusations that they
are there could step up international pressure on the government in
Damascus. That government, led by Bashar Assad, is already facing a
U.N. investigation over its alleged role in the assassination of a
former prime minister of Lebanon. The Bush administration has
criticized Syria for its support of terrorism and its failure to
cooperate with the U.N. investigation.

The State Department recently granted visas for self-proclaimed
opponents of Mr. Assad to attend a "Syrian National Council" meeting in
Washington scheduled for this weekend, even though the attendees
include communists, Baathists, and members of the Islamist Muslim
Brotherhood group to the exclusion of other, more mainstream groups.
Mr. Sada, 65, told the Sun that the pilots of the two airliners that
transported the weapons of mass destruction to Syria from Iraq
approached him in the middle of 2004, after Saddam was captured by
American troops.

"I know them very well. They are very good friends of mine. We trust
each other. We are friends as pilots," Mr. Sada said of the two pilots.
He declined to disclose their names, saying they are concerned for
their safety. But he said they are now employed by other airlines
outside Iraq.

The pilots told Mr. Sada that two Iraqi Airways Boeings were converted
to cargo planes by removing the seats, Mr. Sada said. Then Special
Republican Guard brigades loaded materials onto the planes, he said,
including "yellow barrels with skull and crossbones on each barrel."
The pilots said there was also a ground convoy of trucks.
The flights - 56 in total, Mr. Sada said - attracted little notice
because they were thought to be civilian flights providing relief from
Iraq to Syria, which had suffered a flood after a dam collapse in June
of 2002.

"Saddam realized, this time, the Americans are coming," Mr. Sada said.
"They handed over the weapons of mass destruction to the Syrians."

Mr. Sada said that the Iraqi official responsible for transferring the
weapons was a cousin of Saddam Hussein named Ali Hussein al-Majid,
known as "Chemical Ali." The Syrian official responsible for receiving
them was a cousin of Bashar Assad who is known variously as General Abu
Ali, Abu Himma, or Zulhimawe.

Short of discovering the weapons in Syria, those seeking to validate
Mr. Sada's claim independently will face difficulty. His book contains
a foreword by a retired U.S. Air Force colonel, David Eberly, who was a
prisoner of war in Iraq during the first Gulf War and who vouches for
Mr. Sada, who once held him captive, as "an honest and honorable man."

In his visit to the Sun yesterday, Mr. Sada was accompanied by Terry
Law, the president of a Tulsa, Oklahoma based Christian humanitarian
organization called World Compassion. Mr. Law said he has known Mr.
Sada since 2002, lived in his house in Iraq and had Mr. Sada as a guest
in his home in America. "Do I believe this man? Yes," Mr. Law said.
"It's been solid down the line and everything checked out."
Said Mr. Law, "This is not a publicity hound. This is a man who wants
peace putting his family on the line."

Mr. Sada acknowledged that the disclosures about transfers of weapons
of mass destruction are "a very delicate issue." He said he was afraid
for his family. "I am sure the terrorists will not like it.

The Saddamists will not like it," he said.

He thanked the American troops. "They liberated the country and the
nation. It is a liberation force. They did a great job," he said. "We
have been freed."

He said he had not shared his story until now with any American
officials. "I kept everything secret in my heart," he said. But he is
scheduled to meet next week in Washington with Senators Sessions and
Inhofe, Republicans of, respectively, Alabama and Oklahoma. Both are
members of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The book also says that on the eve of the first Gulf War, Saddam was
planning to use his air force to launch a chemical weapons attack on
Israel.

When, during an interview with the Sun in April 2004, Vice President
Cheney was asked whether he thought that Iraqi weapons of mass
destruction had been moved to Syria, Mr. Cheney replied only that he
had seen such reports.
http://www.nysun.com/article/26514