Iraqi General's Story About WMD Transfers Largely Ignored

One fascinating story that has been largely ignored by most in the mainstream media is the new book written by General Georges Sada, the number two general in the Iraqi Air Force under Saddam Hussein who details how Iraq was able to transfer WMDs out of Iraq by using civilian aircraft with the seats removed in his new book, SADDAM"s SECRETS.

According to General Sada, drums of chemical weapons in yellow barrels with poison emblems were loaded onto civilian aircraft and either sold or transfered to Syria's military. General Sada, like Tariq Aziz, was a Christian and not a Muslim, and General Sada was not a member of the Baath Party either, yet he was a close military confident of Saddam Hussein who was known for his very blunt and honest nature in descriptions of military information to the Iraqi dictator. While many in the Iraqi military often gave Hussein overly optimistic views, partially for their own job if not their own safety, Sada was one of few to challenge Hussein, yet was not excuted or replaced for doing it. General Sada also claims that on two occasions he was able to talk Hussein out of chemical weapons attacks on Israel, and considers this his greatest victory.

General Georges Sada became a "born-aagin" Christian believer in 1987. And despite this minority faith in this largely Muslim nation, he was able to yield great influence over Saddam Hussein. Just like Mikhail Gorbachev, whose closet respect for the Christian faith was central to his views to move the Soviet Union to a freer and more Democratic state, Sada made a difference for the better within Iraq.

During the 1980's war between Iraq and Iran, Iraq used chemical weapons to stop Iranian troops. And Saddam Hussein used chemical weapons such as mustard gas against Kurdish villages. With a severe shortage of cash and the lack of any real long range missiles to deliver chemical weapons more than 150 miles due to UNSCOM arms inspections and destruction, a likely arms deal to sell this terrible weaponry to Syria was made. With Syria far closer to Israel than Iraq, this is hardly any news that should comfort. Syria could easily employ such terrible weapons in any conflict with Israel should it decide to back up Iran should war break out in the MidEast over the nuclear arms situation with Iran.

How the U.S. failed to detect this arms transfer is a good question. But a far more serious one is just what are the nature of the WMD transfers to Syria, and how large of WMD forces remains close to Israeli border in Syria.

During 12 years of U.N. sanctions, and short on cash with no real viable delivery system for the chemical weapon agents, Iraq likely could have sold Syria the WMDs, and expected that they could someday renew their own program if they could get out from under U.N. sanctions and UNSCOM arms inspections. Iraq likel "sanitized" their nation through the WMD sales to Syria. Even GlobalSecurity.org, recognized that Syria has a relatively large force of missiles or shells that are capable of delivering WMDS including some newer North Koran Scud C missile with a 600km range. Other former Soviet Union and Chinese missiles are plentiful and shells number into the thousands in the Syrian military. Many of these are indeed WMD warhead capable.

Any WMD transfer would have given U.N. sanctions cash strapped Iraq needed cash with many embargos on many Iraqi goods and the "oil for food" program under some restrictions.