IAWM on admissions by top US WMD official

national | anti-war / imperialism | press release Saturday January 24, 2004 02:18 by Irish Anti-War Movement 087 1258325

PRESS RELEASE 24/1/04

IRISH ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT (IAWM) COMMENTS ON ADMISSIONS BY DAVID KAY

The US official, David Kay, who was in charge of the search for alleged weapons of mass destruction in Iraq has tonight (23/1/04) admitted that he does not believe that the now occupied country possesses stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons. He has been reported (www.sky.com/skynews/article0,,30000-12978463,00.html) as declaring that if anything was to have been found it would have been discovered by now.

On January 9th it was reported that the Bush administration had quietly abandoned its search for Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. This co-incided with the publication of the Carnegie Report in Washington which was hugely critical of the way in which intelligence material was used in the lead up to the invasion of Iraq. Tonight's revelations indicate the veracity of the Carnegie assessment.

Sky News reports that the remarks by Mr Kay, who has stepped down as head of the Iraq Survey Group, "are sure to be a severe embarrassment to President Bush and Tony Blair."

Reacting, Dr Fintan Lane, spokesperson for the Irish Anti-War Movement (IAWM), said: "It is now absolutely clear that the pretext for the US invasion of Iraq was built on falsehoods and disinformation, much of which was repeated uncritically by people such as Bertie Ahern and Brian Cowen. The cold truth is that the Bush administration was intent on invading Iraq and invented a pretext to undermine those opposing the drive to war. The occupation of Iraq is simply old-fashioned US imperialism rather thinly disguised as something more benign. This war was never about protecting the world or the American people from the dangers of weapons of mass destruction - it was about the United States extending its political and miltary power in the resource-rich Middle East, and about asserting its self-assumed role as a world policeman."

Dr Lane continued: "The Irish government also has questions to answer. It is a poor day for the credibility of all those who argued that a war was necessary, including politicians in our own country who used the alleged existence of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction to justify their collaboration with the US war machine. The extension of facilities at Shannon airport to the US military is in effect an endorsement by the Irish government of an entirely discredited US adventure. How can Fianna Fail and the PDs now justify the misuse of Shannon airport for US military purposes?"

The Irish Anti-War Movement is currently planning a large demonstration to be held in Dublin on March 20th to co-incide with global protests against the ongoing occupation of Iraq. The Dublin march will focus on opposing Irish government complicity with the US military.

PRESS RELEASE ENDS

To contact Fintan Lane, PRO, Irish Anti-War Movement, phone 087 1258325.