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I haven't seen this posted yet...
And a special thanks to uggabugga from FFZ for spotting it.
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Feb. 18, 2003
Germany accused of hiding evidence of smallpox virus arsenals in Iraq
By CORINNA DA FONSECA-WOLLHEIM
The German government suppressed evidence of small pox virus arsenals in Iraq for months, fearing such news could undermine Chancellor Gerhardt Schroeder's re-election campaign, according to a report in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
Since his reelection in September, Schroeder has intensified his opposition to a war against Iraq.
On Monday, the newspaper printed a report written by senior officials in the Health Ministry last August citing German intelligence reports that batches of small pox virus were stored in Iraq, as well as in North Korea and in non-government laboratories in Russia.
The report called for the immediate purchase of millions of small pox vaccines and presented estimates that as many as 20 million Germans could die in the event of a biological attack. It also warned that "terror groups are attempting to manufacture biological weapons."
The German Health Ministry confirmed the authenticity of the report to the newspaper but said that its "drastic language" and "exaggerated casualty figures" were designed to push for the allocation of funds for more vaccines.
In November, Health Minister Ulla Schmidt cited parts of the report in a session of the Bundestag's budget committee, but omitted any mention of Iraq or of the possible consequences of an attack.
Publication of the report fueled accusations made in recent weeks by opposition parliament members such as conservative Christian Democratic Union Foreign Policy Spokesman Friedbert Pfl ger and Guido Westerwelle, chairman of the liberal Free Democratic Party, that the government is holding back intelligence reports of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.
The German government is currently purchasing 100 million small pox vaccines to top up an existing stock of six million.
In its Tuesday edition, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung ran a cartoon depicting a group of spotty anti-war demonstrators marching in a cloud of black dots
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But I guess only Bush would use Iraq for political purposes...
And a special thanks to uggabugga from FFZ for spotting it.
-----------------------------------
Feb. 18, 2003
Germany accused of hiding evidence of smallpox virus arsenals in Iraq
By CORINNA DA FONSECA-WOLLHEIM
The German government suppressed evidence of small pox virus arsenals in Iraq for months, fearing such news could undermine Chancellor Gerhardt Schroeder's re-election campaign, according to a report in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
Since his reelection in September, Schroeder has intensified his opposition to a war against Iraq.
On Monday, the newspaper printed a report written by senior officials in the Health Ministry last August citing German intelligence reports that batches of small pox virus were stored in Iraq, as well as in North Korea and in non-government laboratories in Russia.
The report called for the immediate purchase of millions of small pox vaccines and presented estimates that as many as 20 million Germans could die in the event of a biological attack. It also warned that "terror groups are attempting to manufacture biological weapons."
The German Health Ministry confirmed the authenticity of the report to the newspaper but said that its "drastic language" and "exaggerated casualty figures" were designed to push for the allocation of funds for more vaccines.
In November, Health Minister Ulla Schmidt cited parts of the report in a session of the Bundestag's budget committee, but omitted any mention of Iraq or of the possible consequences of an attack.
Publication of the report fueled accusations made in recent weeks by opposition parliament members such as conservative Christian Democratic Union Foreign Policy Spokesman Friedbert Pfl ger and Guido Westerwelle, chairman of the liberal Free Democratic Party, that the government is holding back intelligence reports of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.
The German government is currently purchasing 100 million small pox vaccines to top up an existing stock of six million.
In its Tuesday edition, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung ran a cartoon depicting a group of spotty anti-war demonstrators marching in a cloud of black dots
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But I guess only Bush would use Iraq for political purposes...
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