"Allies Find No Links Between Iraq, Al Qaeda"
What are you talking about? What about the fact that both are MOSLAMS and EHRAABS?
I agree that no solid proof has been shown to prove this allegation.Having said that,i am going to reserve judgement until i hear what Powell has to say on Wed. to the UN.Their whole case will be severely weakened if they dont have proof.
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Many many thanks for posting this up, Malik. :k: :k: Some interesting comments there. Wonder how Powell will try to make that link to the Security Council? i hope it is not a repeat of reiterating the same statements without providing any evidence.
That supposed Al Qaida - Iraq link may not get much of a mention in Powell’s speech it seems?
Powell Speech Will Not Focus on Qaeda-Iraq Linking](Yahoo News: Latest and Breaking News, Headlines, Live Updates, and More)
lol… that’s rich. Bush plays up the Iraq-al Qaeda link in his SofU speech, but no evidence for it is provided during the speech, and now we learn that no evidence will be provided for it tomorrow either by Powell. First spread the lies and the fear; subsequent to succeeding in creating panic and speculation in the public’s minds, retreat from your initial assertions. Good show :k: Am i the only who believes this is increasingly becoming more ridiculous by the day?
And now this as well:
Powell plays down ‘smoking gun’ expectations, The Guardian, 3 February 2003
The US secretary of state, Colin Powell, has dampened expectations that he will unveil a “smoking gun” on Iraq’s record of compliance with weapons inspectors when he presents evidence to the UN security council tomorrow. Writing in the Wall Street Journal yesterday, Mr Powell said that he would present “no smoking gun” at tomorrow’s crucial one-hour briefing in New York. During it, he will attempt to convince the 15-member council that Iraq has been flouting UN resolution 1441.
UK report rejects Iraqi al-Qaeda link.
Who is right?
There are no current links between the Iraqi regime and the al-Qaeda network, according to an official British intelligence report seen by BBC News.
The top secret document, written by defence intelligence staff three weeks ago, says there has been contact between the two in the past.
UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw told the BBC on Wednesday the case against Saddam Hussein is based on his defiance of UN demands that he disarm, not on alleged links with terrorism.
Washington is to make its case against Baghdad on Wednesday during an address by Secretary of State Colin Powell to the United Nations Security Council.
Mr Powell is expected to present fresh evidence of Baghdad’s non-compliance with UN disarmament resolutions at a meeting specially convened at Washington’s request.
Analysts say the reaction he receives at the Council is likely to determine whether or not the US seeks a new resolution on disarming Iraq or embarks on military action on the basis of existing resolutions.
Undermined
One expected strand of his argument has been undermined by the leaking to the BBC of an official UK intelligence assessment recently sent to Prime Minister Tony Blair which says that there are no current Iraqi links with al-Qaeda.
The report said a fledgling alliance foundered due to ideological differences between the militant Islamic group and the secular nationalist regime.
Mr Straw told the BBC’s Today programme that he had “seen no evidence which directly links Iraq to al-Qaeda, but I would not be surprised if it exists”.
He said he did not know if he had seen the document our correspondent saw.
But, he said, “the Iraqi regime appears to be allowing a permissive environment in which al-Qaeda can operate, and we have seen links between al-Qaeda and people in Iraq.”
“We do not know the extent of those links,” he said.
Saddam Hussein himself continues to deny harbouring illegal weapons of mass destruction and links to international terror groups.
Iraq’s al-Haraq newspaper predicted that Mr Powell would have nothing but lies for the UN.
Mr Powell has dampened expectations of presenting a “smoking gun” to the Security Council but insists his case will still be compelling.
‘Uphill battle’
Nonetheless, some new evidence is expected on Wednesday, the BBC’s State Department correspondent, Jon Leyne, says.
It will take the form of a multi-media presentation, including pictures and audio allegedly showing Iraqi officials deceiving UN weapons inspectors and gloating over their work.
US officials will be honing the evidence right up to the last minute.
Mr Powell is expected to attend the meeting accompanied by CIA Director George Tenet.
After the presentation, Mr Powell will hold one-to-one meetings with other members of the 15-strong Security Council in an effort to win their support.
Our correspondents say that, unless he really springs some surprises, it is still looking like an uphill battle for the top US diplomat.
Limited patience
If the prospect looms of a marathon negotiating session like that which preceded the last UN resolution on Iraq, the Bush administration could decide that the existing resolution gives it grounds enough for military action.
The Iraqi president has protested his innocence in an interview shown by the UK’s Channel Four television.
On weapons of mass destruction, he said it was “easy to work out if Iraq has them or not” and dismissed the idea of links with al-Qaeda.
In other developments:
An undisclosed number of F117 Stealth fighters have left their base in New Mexico for expected deployment in the Gulf.
The UN is drawing up contingency plans for a possible outflow of refugees from Iraq after the head of its refugee agency said 600,000 people could try to flee in case of war.
The Iraqi armed forces staged a display of force in the northern city of Mosul.
Kuwait announced that areas bordering Iraq would be closed off as a special military zone from 15 February.
UN weapons inspectors found an empty Sakr-18 chemical warhead at an ammunition depot north of Baghdad.
Thats cos there are no such links. Bush, Rumsfeld etc may have dreamed bout them or told by a gypsy but CIA and MI6 have clearly said they have no intelligence to support that. 
I really found this funny that even after the British Intelligence has said that there is no link between al-qaeda and Iraq British Prime Minister is still insisting that there are links. Smells sh*te
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*Originally posted by 5Abi: *
Thats cos there are no such links. Bush, Rumsfeld etc may have dreamed bout them or told by a gypsy but CIA and MI6 have clearly said they have no intelligence to support that. :D
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If both the CIA and MI6 are ruling out links between the awovedly secular Saddam and clearly 'fundementalist' Al Qaida, one woders why Bush and Blair persist in their lies? Maybe the fact they first made these claims and are now ashamed to admit they were wrong.
So far Powell's speech is partly based on information extracted from torturing detainees, and partly by allegations that even their own intelligence services don't give much credence to.
So far Powell’s speech is partly based on information extracted from torturing detainees, and partly by allegations that even their own intelligence services don’t give much credence to.
Exactly, Malik. Poor Bushy - now it’s time to find another lie to associate Iraq with:
No proof of Iraq, al-Qaeda links: analysts, Julian Borger, Michael Howard and Richard Norton-Taylor
Sydney Morning Herald, 31 January 2003
The fact that Al Qaida could have links to the secular dictator Saddam in Iraq, is a complete lie not even believed by the CIA, MI6 and the European governments. Every one is well aware of Osama Bin Ladin’s long held hatred of Saddam and his regime. But this lie on top of “evidence” extracted through torture, and the blatant lies over the Anthrax attacks really expose Powell’s speech as one of the worst display of mistruths ever seen in international affairs.
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*Originally posted by Malik73: *
But this lie on top of "evidence" extracted through torture, and the blatant lies over the Anthrax attacks really expose Powell's speech as one of the worst display of mistruths ever seen in international affairs.
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Precisely, Malik. Could not have stated it better myself.
Regarding al Qaeda and Iraq - doesn't bin Laden view Saddam Hussein's govt. as too secular in nature for his tastes? The belief that there could be a link between these two individuals, so disparate in their ideologies, is extremely challenging to believe. To date, there has been no tangible evidenced produced, whatsoever, linking Iraq with al Qaeeda or the acts on 11th September 2001.
Osama Bin Ladin has hated Saddam and his regime for decades going back to the days whenhe was an American ally against Iran, and especially during the first Gulf war. Ironically OBL offered the Saudi Royal family to set up his own force to fight Saddam after the invasion of Kuwait, which they turned down. It is this rebuff which is sometimes seen as the pivotal moment when he turned against the Saudi royals, and started speaking out aganist them openly before being expelled. So Al Qaida regards Saddam and the Baathists as their mortal enemies, not allies.
Ironically OBL offered the Saudi Royal family to set up his own force to fight Saddam after the invasion of Kuwait, which they turned down. It is this rebuff which is sometimes seen as the pivotal moment when he turned against the Saudi royals, and started speaking out aganist them openly before being expelled. So Al Qaida regards Saddam and the Baathists as their mortal enemies, not allies.
Many thanks for that information, Malik. i appreciate it.
Malik,
"Osama Bin Ladin has hated Saddam and his regime for decades going back to the days whenhe was an American ally against Iran, and especially during the first Gulf war. Ironically OBL offered the Saudi Royal family to set up his own force to fight Saddam after the invasion of Kuwait, which they turned down. It is this rebuff which is sometimes seen as the pivotal moment when he turned against the Saudi royals, and started speaking out aganist them openly before being expelled. So Al Qaida regards Saddam and the Baathists as their mortal enemies, not allies."
You have been wrong since you said that there was no proof agianst OBL. You were wrong when you said that the US would be bogged down in guerilla fighting in Afghanistan. And NOW you forget that the oldest trueism in the Middle East is that the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Denial is more than a river in Egypt...
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Originally posted by Ohioguy:
Malik,
You have been wrong...
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Getting a little testy aren't we? :)
Just name me a list of countries that have openly come out and supported US claims about Al Qaida links to Saddam? Go on prove it...read this thread carefully right from 5Abi's opening post.
…NOW you forget that the oldest trueism in the Middle East is that the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Only for a certain amount of time, perhaps. Think about Iran-Iraq-US.
Sorry if this article was previously posted; just another one relevant to this thread:
False trails that lead to the al-Qaeda ‘links’, Ed Vulliamy, Martin Bright, and Nick Pelham
The Observer, 2 February 2003
Good one.
Here’s one more factual article that discredits American lies:-
Revealed: truth behind US ‘poison factory’ claim](The Observer)
Sorry, I just got done listening to OBL giving advice to the Iraqi's, "dig trenches the bombs can't get you!" Quite a piece of military advice.
Hahahahah
and Malik, if the US Secretary of State exposed a place to manfacture poisons, do you think that material would be there the next day?
Think man think!
Perhaps you should poll all those so intelligent allies now that OBL has publicly proclaimed his support for Iraq....
Good advice for you, and you should read as well. Here chew on this…
**It is unlikely that the decidedly secular Baathist regime–which has savagely suppressed Islamists within Iraq–would be able to maintain close links with Osama bin Laden and his followers. In fact, Saudi Prince Turki bin Faisal, his country’s former intelligence chief, noted that bin Laden views Saddam Hussein “as an apostate, an infidel, or someone who is not worthy of being a fellow Muslim” and that bin Laden had offered in 1990 to raise an army of thousands of mujaheddin fighters to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi occupation. **](http://www.afn.org/~iguana/archives/2002_09/20020906.html)
Now whilst you digest that I ask you again name me a list of countries that have openly come out and supported US claims about Al Qaida links to Saddam? Take all the time you want…