(Maarivenglish.com) Amir Rappaport - Maj.-Gen. Amos Gilad served as Head of the Intelligence Directorate, Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, and IDF Spokesman. Today, he heads the Diplomatic-Political Branch in the Ministry of Defense. Gilad insists that although no non-conventional weapons were found in Iraq, "there is no doubt that Saddam had those weapons." "Based on my contacts with agencies around the world, immediately before the war, Iraq had a military biological weapons program and chemical weapons." Regarding nuclear weapons, they were in the early stages of development. Q: If so, where is this arsenal? Why hasn't it been found? "I can state with certainty that in many places they [the U.S.] found things that were suspected of being chemical and biological weapons. The Americans apparently thought that the Iraqi people would receive them with open arms and, therefore, did not hurry to examine things. Very quickly, it became clear that the suspicious objects, which were in places where the Americans could not reach them, simply disappeared. In addition, the riddle regarding the possibility that the Iraqis trucked chemical and biological weapons and scientists to Syria before the war remains unsolved." "As I understand it, Saddam is not answering his interrogators....I wouldn't be surprised if he and his friends don't speak as long as the interrogation continues. He has no reason to speak. In any case, he knows that he will eventually be tried for war crimes and, in Iraq, the punishment is likely to be death." Q: What are the main ramifications of the war in Iraq? "The most amazing result is Libya, which voluntarily decided to give up its nuclear weapons." "The second result is the delay in Iran's nuclear program. Unlike Libya, the Iranians are not willing to give up their program but at least they are delaying it." "The war also resulted in the cessation of the direct payment of $25,000 to families of suicide bombers in the territories." "Syria finds itself completely isolated. If, in the past, it had plans to attack Israel, that idea currently receives very little thought, which doesn't prevent it from encouraging terror."
2004-03-19 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive