Who was the Baathist Regime of Iraq Indebted to for Providence of Chemical Weapons?

After the First World War the most expanded chemical attacks took place in the eight-year-war of Iraq against Iran.

The first report for using chemical weapons in the war of Iran-Iraq returns to November 14, 1980 in Halaleh and Nei Khazar Zone. In this attack the chemical agent by the name of " Vomiting Gas" was used.

After that another chemical attack happened in June 23, 1983 in an operative area of Valfajr 2 (Piranshahr and Haj Omran) and in October 1983 Iraq attacked to the operative lands of Valfajr 4 (Panjion) chemically. The first expanded attacks of Iraq's regime took place in March 1983 in an operative zone of Majnoon Islands. It should be mentioned that these chemical attacks were done by using some chemical gases such as Mustard and Nerve Gases. After that the broad chemical weapons were used in Badr military operation which caused many causalities in Iranian troops. In the military operations of Valfajr 8 in 1985 (Fav), Karbalayeh 4 and 5 in the winter of 1986 (Shalamcheh- Abadan), Kurdistan Iraq ( spring 1987), Fav ( 1988) and at the end of war in June 22, 1988 ( in middle and southern wars).

During the Imposed War, not only the Iraqi regime used chemical weapons against the military troops of Iran, but also it used these dangerous weapons against the civilians and civil borders of Iran as well. In general, it can be said that more than 30 cases of chemical attacks took places during the imposed war in the Iranian lands and the Kurdish lands located in the north Iraq. The most important chemical attacks can be named as follows: The chemical disaster of Sardasht by using Mustard Gas, chemical tragedy for the villages around the Sar-Pol-Zahab and Gilan-Gharb and Ashnoyeh city.

According to the gathered information from the Evacuation Lists of Victims and Health Centers, during the Imposed War, almost 100 thousands military and civil individuals were under the chemical attacks.

During the 8-year-war of Iraq against Iran, different chemical agents were used. According to the documented reports, the most chemical agents which were used during the imposed war can be named as Nerve Gases ( Sarin, Suman and Tabun) and after this gas Mustard Gas(Blistering Gas) was used so much.

Sarin is a Nerve Gas which is colorless and odorless, it has been produced in the United States of America, Russia and Iraq and can not be solved easily. Its constancy is not clear which would be counted as the most poisonous kind of chemical weapons. Soman Gas is provided from Sarin combination and another chemical agent by the name of LEWISITE and it is a blistering agent and is usually produced in Russia. Tabun is produced by a German chemist by the name of " Garhard Sherder". This agent has phosphate structure and is considered in the collection of the easiest Nerve Gases( in the way or production).

Mustard Gas brings some problems to eye and lung. It causes many blisters and its odor is similar to onion. This gas has been produced by the United States of America , Germany, Russia and Iraq in century 20. During the Imposed War, many countries supported Saddam Hussein to equipping him to chemical weapons. According to the statistics which have been provided in this field, it can be said that about 445 western firms have played a great role for providing chemical weapons to Iraq.

The important note that can be observed here is that some of the firms that supported Saddam hat feigned aspect and after the performance of their objectives have left this event. Some of them have not been detected by governments, so when these firms have been detected that they are helping Saddam's regime have ignored their activity in this field.  Almost one third of the 445 western firms belong to Germany. The Iraqi report which has been provided in 12 thousands pages everything has been mentioned in details that what kind of weapons have been produced by the German and Iraqi firms.

One of the newspapers belonged to the left wing parties of Berlin by the name of "Tags Zitong" in December 2002 has published a 12 thousands report of Iraq by United Nations which is about the Iraq's weapons programs.  In this report the most secretarial subjects were published and Germany has been named as one of the countries that has equipped Saddam to these weapons more than others. Of course the names of 80 German firms in the 12-thousand-page report have been omitted. But the name of famous firms such as " Zimens" and " Benz" can be observe.

In this 12-thousand-page report in addition to the written point of western countries, the Security Council has censored almost 800 pages which the name of western centers had been written among them. Among the documents which have been left the names of 24 English firms that have equipped Saddam to chemical weapons and nuclear weapons have been mentioned. More than 17 American firms that assisted the British firms to cooperate with Iraq to produce chemical weapons have been mentioned in this report.

According to the report of America's Senate Committee on May 25 and October 7 , 1994 that in this field the United States of America had a double purpose for its military and chemical equipments to Saddam as this country had considered the results of Persian Gulf. Since 1985 to 1989 the United States of America provided many microbial shipments to Iraq secretly.

The American Newspaper of Washington Post on December 30 2002 announced that the separated documents indicate that Donald Ramsfled the current Defense Minister of United States of America , someday in addition to the international conventions which were made for prohibition of chemical weapons traveled to Iraq. He traveled to this country to visit Baghdad politically. At the continuation of this report it was stipulated that the relation of USA with Saddam in the years before his attack to Kuwait in 1990 includes the exchange of information in a broad level, providence of bombs by an old firm of " CHI LIN" and the easy access of Iraq to chemical and microbial agents which would be counted as an obvious policy of United Sates.

Many of the Japanese, Netherlander, Sweden, Belgium, Spanish and French firms played an important role for providence of chemical weapons to the former regime of Iraq.

Reference:

1. Cloud Albert Kelbiar, the organizations of international relations, translated by Hedayatollah Falsefi, Tehran Nashr Nu, 1989, page 86.

2. Bahaman Aghayee, International laws and chemical weapons, number 3, page 412.

3. Raberts Adam Document on the law of war op. cit, p. 36.   

Writer: Mohammad Mehdi Perastar- February 22, 2007

Source: Information Base of Chemical Weapons Victims