Iraq Made 11th-Hour Appeal to Avert War, Intermediaries Say

NY Times story here.

<snip>
WASHINGTON, Nov. 5 — As American soldiers massed on the Iraqi border in March and diplomats argued about war, an influential adviser to the Pentagon received a secret message from a Lebanese-American businessman: Saddam Hussein wanted to make a deal.

Iraqi officials, including the chief of the Iraqi Intelligence Service, had told the businessman that they wanted Washington to know that Iraq no longer had weapons of mass destruction, and they offered to allow American troops and experts to conduct an independent search. They also offered to hand over a man accused of being involved in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing who was being held in Baghdad. At one point, the intermediary said in an interview, the Iraqis pledged to hold elections.
</snip>

I think I cannot dislike this junta more some new insult
comes into view. They disgust me beyond words. All of those young men and women are being killed for nothing but corporate profits. I am
beyond angry, I am numb with rage.

. . . thanks for the link. :hi:

TYY

Peter Jennings did a masterful presentation of this on his news show this evening... anyone see it? They interviewed the Lebanese-American businessman who told his story. When it looked like they might be making some progress, he says he got a call from the CIA telling him that it was a "no-go".

After that section, Jennings played the speech Rumsfeld made just after the we invaded Iraq where he said "The American people can take great comfort in knowing that we did everything humanly possible to try and avert the war in Iraq... blah, blah, blah, etc." It was just amazing how well the piece was done and how subtly he was sticking it in Junior's eye.

This really is incredible news... just incredible. I'm glad many Americans got to see this.

I didn't see it but saw a thread earlier. Hope this has legs.

I'm locking.

Continue here: http://democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=201626

FlashHarry
DU Moderator

Mr. Perle said the C.I.A. officials said they did not want to pursue this channel and indicated they had already engaged in separate contacts with Baghdad. Mr. Perle said the response was simple: "The message was, `Tell them that we will see them in Baghdad.' "

Ummm huh, I bet the CIA said it! One of the Russian or Israeli papers that people at DU have said isn't very creditable had an article about how Hussein believed he could avert war because Russia was helping negotiate with the US. If it was true, it obviously didn't take into account the bush thirst for oil. Another site had a history of Iraq and how so many people have tried to steal their oil. I also remember the talk before the war about Iraq surrendering and bush said we were going in anyway. There was no way georgie wasn't going to get his war on.