thedrifter
02-21-03, 07:46 PM
EYE ON THE GULF
Navy boards ships
in hunt for Iraqi arms
U.N. cites reports weapons recently smuggled abroad
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: February 21, 2003
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com
The United States Navy has stepped up patrols of international waters searching for Iraqi weapons of mass destruction reported to have been hidden on ships or smuggled overseas, reports the London Guardian.
Forces are boarding as many as six vessels a day, mostly in the vicinity of the Persian Gulf where patrols have been enforcing international sanctions against Iraq.
The increased scrutiny stems from reports to the U.N. suggesting Iraqi weapons had been smuggled abroad in recent months to countries such as Sudan and Syria to escape detection by United Nations weapons inspectors.
UNMOVIC, the U.N. agency searching for Saddam Hussein's suspected stockpiles of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, said it had received a "steady stream" of such reports.
Peter Hinchliffe, a marine adviser at the International Chamber of Shipping, told the Guardian that steps were underway to design an internationally accepted tracking system to keep a closer watch on vessels.
There was no evidence that ships carrying Iraqi missiles were concealed at sea, he said, but added: "The Indian Ocean is a very big place; it's not difficult to hide things there."
WorldNetDaily reported yesterday, United States and British intelligence are tracking three mystery cargo ships that left port in late November and have been traveling in "ever-decreasing circles" ever since.
The vessels maintain radio silence in violation of international maritime law and the captains refuse to reveal the content of their cargoes or destinations, according to British newspapers Independent and the Evening Standard.
The ships, each with a deadweight of 35,000 to 40,000 tons, were chartered by a shipping agent based in Egypt and are flying under the flags of three different countries, according to the British papers.
Asked to comment on the report, a spokeswoman for Britain's Ministry of Defense told Reuters News Agency: "We don't discuss intelligence issues."
U.N. weapons inspectors have found no evidence of weapons of mass destruction after conducting more than 400 searches of 300 sites over the past eleven weeks.
But chief inspector Hans Blix reported to Security Council members that Iraq had failed to account for 1,000 tons of chemical agent, 6,500 chemical bombs, 25,000 liters of anthrax, 38,000 liters of botulinum toxin, 500 tons of sarin, mustard gas and VX nerve agent and 380 rocket engines useful in the delivery of biological and chemical agents.
According to the Guardian, naval patrols in the Gulf have come up with only minor discoveries of drugs and a handful of unauthorized guns.
"It's becoming a bit of an embarrassment to them. They haven't really found anything," said David Osler, industrial editor of the maritime journal Lloyd's List.
© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com, Inc.
Sempers,
Roger
Navy boards ships
in hunt for Iraqi arms
U.N. cites reports weapons recently smuggled abroad
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: February 21, 2003
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com
The United States Navy has stepped up patrols of international waters searching for Iraqi weapons of mass destruction reported to have been hidden on ships or smuggled overseas, reports the London Guardian.
Forces are boarding as many as six vessels a day, mostly in the vicinity of the Persian Gulf where patrols have been enforcing international sanctions against Iraq.
The increased scrutiny stems from reports to the U.N. suggesting Iraqi weapons had been smuggled abroad in recent months to countries such as Sudan and Syria to escape detection by United Nations weapons inspectors.
UNMOVIC, the U.N. agency searching for Saddam Hussein's suspected stockpiles of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, said it had received a "steady stream" of such reports.
Peter Hinchliffe, a marine adviser at the International Chamber of Shipping, told the Guardian that steps were underway to design an internationally accepted tracking system to keep a closer watch on vessels.
There was no evidence that ships carrying Iraqi missiles were concealed at sea, he said, but added: "The Indian Ocean is a very big place; it's not difficult to hide things there."
WorldNetDaily reported yesterday, United States and British intelligence are tracking three mystery cargo ships that left port in late November and have been traveling in "ever-decreasing circles" ever since.
The vessels maintain radio silence in violation of international maritime law and the captains refuse to reveal the content of their cargoes or destinations, according to British newspapers Independent and the Evening Standard.
The ships, each with a deadweight of 35,000 to 40,000 tons, were chartered by a shipping agent based in Egypt and are flying under the flags of three different countries, according to the British papers.
Asked to comment on the report, a spokeswoman for Britain's Ministry of Defense told Reuters News Agency: "We don't discuss intelligence issues."
U.N. weapons inspectors have found no evidence of weapons of mass destruction after conducting more than 400 searches of 300 sites over the past eleven weeks.
But chief inspector Hans Blix reported to Security Council members that Iraq had failed to account for 1,000 tons of chemical agent, 6,500 chemical bombs, 25,000 liters of anthrax, 38,000 liters of botulinum toxin, 500 tons of sarin, mustard gas and VX nerve agent and 380 rocket engines useful in the delivery of biological and chemical agents.
According to the Guardian, naval patrols in the Gulf have come up with only minor discoveries of drugs and a handful of unauthorized guns.
"It's becoming a bit of an embarrassment to them. They haven't really found anything," said David Osler, industrial editor of the maritime journal Lloyd's List.
© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com, Inc.
Sempers,
Roger