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| More of Germany’s help to Saddam in run-up to war documented | |
| 2003-04-20 | |
| Germany's intelligence services (ultimate oximoron) attempted to build closer links to Saddam's secret service during the build-up to war last year, documents from the bombed Iraqi intelligence HQ in Baghdad obtained by The Telegraph reveal. Link has copy of the actual document They show that an agent named as Johannes William Hoffner, described as a "new German representative in Iraq" who had entered the country under diplomatic cover, attended a meeting with Lt Gen Taher Jalil Haboosh, the director of Iraq's intelligence service. During the meeting, on January 29, 2002, Lt Gen Haboosh says that the Iraqis are keen to have a relationship with Germany's intelligence agency "under diplomatic cover", adding that he hopes to develop that relationship through Mr Hoffner. In return, the Iraqis offered to give lucrative contracts to German companies if the Berlin government helped prevent an American invasion of the country. During the meeting, Lt Gen Haboosh tells the German agent that Iraq has "big problems" with Britain and the United States. "We have problems with Britain because it occupied Iraq for 60 years and with America because of its aggression for 11 years," he says. He adds, however, that Iraq has no problems with Germany and suggests that Germany will be rewarded with lucrative contracts if it offers international support to Iraq. "When the American conspiracy is finished, we will make a calculation for each state that helps Iraq in its crisis."
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| Posted by:Constitutional Individualist |
| #6 Well said,TGA. Just seems like every otherday another shovel of dirt keeps adding to the pile. |
| Posted by: raptor 2003-04-21 07:37:44 |
| #5 This "discovery event" is analagous to a publicly traded company being charged with "accounting irregularities". Once you see the first shoe drop, you tend to see even more shoes drop as a more "formal" investigation unfolds. The usual, best course for the investor to take-- regardless of his or her belierf of the people in charge-- is to sell the shares in the "discredited" company immediately-- mainly because the uncertainty factor is likely to get worse, not better over time. My hope is that the emerging links between German intelligence and Iraq prove quite innocuous. There are differences, indeed, between the functions of States and those of individual companies. However, each can be just as corrupt and misleading to their "invested public" as the other... Keeping an open mind on this event and reserving judgement is the "right" thing to do-- unless you have a vested interest at stake (we at Rantburg don't-- the German government does). And if Germany were a stock and I were an investor... I would sit myself in "Switzerland", at least until these events unfolded. |
| Posted by: Lexicon 2003-04-20 23:15:38 |
| #4 I fully agree with the "but"... yet I hope that Iraqi papers are not randomly thrown around without serious investigation about what's behind them. The collaboration between US and German intelligence is excellent. I find it hard to believe the German government (even Schroeder) would do something like that. Nobody in Germany in his right mind had any illusion about the fact that the US would go into Iraq. For me it was crystal clear after Bush's "Axis of Evil" Speech in January 2002. I suppose the German government knew that too. I still believe that Schroeder's stance was election related and he just handled it teribly wrong. Let's hope that his lefties do the dirty work and topple him. They have experience with that, they already brought down a much better chancellor 20 years ago... Helmut Schmidt. |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2003-04-20 10:08:54 |
| #3 Agreed - I will withhold further venom til more comes out, but..... |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-04-20 09:53:39 |
| #2 Hmmmm I don't know yet what to make out of it. I was looking at the date of this alleged meeting which is only a few months after 9/11. German intelligence services have excellent contacts in the Midle East and much valuable info about terrorist activity comes from Germany. (So much for the "ultimate oxymoron".) We don't know if the document is just a fairy tale of the Mukhbarat boss to please Saddam, whether this German guy just gave a few easy, non endorsed promises to get some info about terrorist activity (something that might even have been endorsed by US intelligence) or what else is behind all this. Reading this document I see Mr Haboosh talking a lot while the German just says: "My organisation wants to develop its relationship with your organisation." (Which organization btw, the BND who maintains excellent relations with the CIA?). That Iraq was more sympathetic to Germany than to the US or UK is rather obvious. Anyway that affair will indeed be investigated and if there is any truth to it and there was any collaboration between the German government and Iraq about this that will mean the end of Schroeder. But I can't ignore the date. That was way before any invasion talks, that was at a time when the search for terrorists was in full swing (and any info about terrorists might have been considered good info). We have to find out more about this Mr Hoffner, which service he worked for, and what the circumstances of this meeting were. What Mr Haboosh may have "hoped for" and what he actually got are two things. The document says: "He also urges Mr Hoffner to lobby the German government to raise its diplomatic mission in Baghdad to full ambassadorial level." This at least was never done. At the moment this is just spooks's babble but if there is more of it you can be sure the German press will put its bloodhounds to work. But drawing conclusion from one paper without knowing what's behind it might not be a good thing. And lets not forget that the US now has full command over any papers it wants to release..or not. |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2003-04-20 09:41:03 |
| #1 Posted same last night with a pointed question to True German Ally - basically: "What the F*&k???" It's one thing to oppose our Iraq action in the UNSC (after previously supporting it) in the name of national interests or on some kind of 'principle', but to actively provide aid and comfort to Iraq, who would soon be facing US troops? Perfidy is the best term, I can think of a lot worse. This is the kind of thing that breaks alliances, and freaking phone calls and flowers won't heal it. Bastards! I won't be surprised if we find invoices for WMD's. The only thing that can heal this kind of breach is the downfall and replacement of the German and French gov'ts - we already know Putin's staying.... Bush won't forget, and Realpolitik only goes so far |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-04-20 08:55:14 |