Basson: Iraq not a world threat
2003-02-23 20:06
Herman Jansen
Johannesburg - "Iraq's chemical and biological weapons are not threatening the world. For the terror Americans fear so much, Saddam Hussein does not need a country. A two bedroom flat will do. To create terror, you do not need hundreds of thousands to die. A few thousand is enough."
This is the opinion of Dr Wouter Basson, South Africa's leading expert of chemical and biological warfare.
Basson, project officer of the former defence force's chemical and biological warfare programme, made clandestine visits to Iraq as an "intelligence officer" since 1986.
He said Iraq did not have the capability to threaten America with weapons of mass destruction.
"When I became involved with Iraq for the first time, the West provided all the technology the country needed. Later, Iraq developed a few technologies on its own. But my guess is that 99% of this was destroyed in the Gulf War and the subsequent inspections."
His last contact with Iraq was in 1995 during a contact visit between North African countries and Iraq outside this country's borders.
"They tried to regain their former status, but it didn't work out. I have no reason to believe that they have had success in the meanwhile."
He said Iraq might have components of chemical and biological warfare.
"They can easily manufacture poison, it is not difficult. They might be able to buy artillery projectiles and missiles on the black market. They could fill these weapons, but it still would not amount to chemical warfare.
They need a system to use the weapons otherwise they will kill their own people.
They do not have that level of protective clothing, training and procedures.
Saddam Hussein has the ability to threaten his own populace, and maybe his neighbours, but nobody else.
"The Americans are trying to mislead all of us.
"What is a weapon of mass destruction? It means that you cause devastation with hundreds of thousands of casualties. Except for a nuclear bomb, such a thing does not exist.
"To top it all, America has the only other weapon that comes closest to a nuclear bomb. That is the Daisycutter bomb they used in Afghanistan.
"President Bush wants to get rid of Saddam because he is irritated by him. But Bush must not say this is an international issue. He must not say it is for our safety. Iraq can not do a thing against South Africa."
Basson also said South Africa's mission of chemical and biological weapons experts to Iraq, to assist in the disarmament process, was an exercise in futility and extremely arrogant.
He claimed that the delegation lacked expertise to negotiate with the Iraqis.
Basson said as far as he knew, no-one on the team understood the Muslim culture or the local language.
"To negotiate without that, creates further problems.
"The expert chemical investigators from our country, who know how people hide things, were also not included in the mission."
- Rapport