Saddam Hussein’s IraqSaddam Hussein’s priorities are clear. If given control of Iraq’s resources, Saddam Hussein would use them to rearm and threaten the region, not to improve

Prepared by the U.S. Department of StateSeptember 1999

Saddam Hussein’s Iraq

The purpose of this report is to present the facts concerning Iraq under

Saddam Hussein.

There are a wealth of charges and counter-charges concerning actions undertaken bySaddam and by the international communitytowards Iraq.

Based on publicly available information, thefacts contained in this report demonstrate thatunder the regime of Saddam Hussein, Iraq continues to repress its people, threaten theregion, and obstruct international efforts to provide humanitarian relief.

We are helping the Iraqi people in their effortsto bring about a regime that is committed toliving in peace with its neighbors and respectingthe rights of its citizens.

We want to see Iraq return as a respected and prosperous member of the internationalcommunity, and as the evidence shows, this isunlikely to happen as long as Saddam Husseinis in power.

As long as Saddam Hussein is in power, we aredetermined to contain the Iraqi regime and prevent it from threatening the region or itsown people.We will also continue our efforts toincrease humanitarian relief for the people ofIraq, over the obstructions of the regime.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

SUMMARY

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

November 18, 1999

IMPACT OF SANCTIONS

Sanctions were imposed on Iraq bythe international community in the

wake of Iraq's brutal invasion ofKuwait.They are intended to

prevent the Iraqi regime access to resources that it would

use to reconstitute weapons ofmass destruction. Sanctions can

only be lifted when Iraq compliesfully with all relevant UN Security

Council resolutions.

Saddam Hussein’s regime remains athreat to its people and its

neighbors, and has not met any ofits obligations to the UN that would

allow the UN to lift sanctions.

The international community, notthe regime of Saddam Hussein, isworking to relieve the impact of

sanctions on ordinary Iraqis.

Impact of SanctionsSanctions are not intended to harm the people of Iraq.That is why the sanctions regime has always specifical-ly exempted food and medicine. The Iraqi regime hasalways been free to import as much of these goods aspossible. It refuses to do so, even though it claims itwants to relieve the suffering of the people of Iraq.

3 Iraq is actually exporting food, even though it saysits people are malnourished. Coalition ships enforc-ing the UN sanctions against Iraq recently divertedthe ship M/V MINIMARE containing 2,000 metrictons of rice and other material being exported fromIraq for hard currency instead of being used to sup-port the Iraqi people.

3 Baby milk sold to Iraq through the oil-for-food pro-gram has been found in markets throughout theGulf, demonstrating that the Iraqi regime is depriv-ing its people of much-needed goods in order tomake an illicit profit.

3 Kuwaiti authorities recently seized a shipment com-ing out of Iraq carrying, among other items, babypowder, baby bottles, and other nursing materialsfor resale overseas (see photo 1).

Saddam Hussein’s priorities are clear. If given controlof Iraq’s resources, Saddam Hussein would use them torearm and threaten the region, not to improve the lot ofthe Iraqi people.

There is ample proof that lifting sanctions would offerthe Iraqi people no relief from neglect at the hands oftheir government

3 Sanctions prevent Saddam from spending money onrearmament, but do not stop him from spendingmoney on food and medicine for Iraqis.

3 Saddam’s priorities are clear: palaces for himself,prisons for his people, and weapons to destroy Iraq’scitizens and its neighbors. He has built 48 palacesfor himself since the Gulf War. He would not useIraq’s resources to improve the lives of Iraqis.Saddam Hussein would use them to rearm andthreaten the region.

IMPACT OF SANCTIONS

SUMMARY

IMPACT OF SANCTIONS

Photo 1: Kuwait authorities recently seized a shipment coming out of Iraq carrying,among other items, baby powder, baby bottles, and other nursing materials for resale overseas.

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IRAQI OBSTRUCTION OF OIL-FOR-FOOD

Thanks to the oil-for-food program,the people of Iraq, especially

those in the north, are getting needed foods and medicines.

The program would be even more effective if the Iraqi regime

were cooperating. Iraqi obstructionof the oil-for-food program,

not United Nations sanctions,is the primary reason the Iraqi

people are suffering.

Oil-for-Food Program Helps Iraqis

3 Iraqi oil exports are now at near pre-war levels andrevenues are above what Iraq was receiving duringthe Iran-Iraq war. For the six-month period June-November 1999, Iraqi oil exports are projected toexceed $6 billion.

3 Previously Iraq had said it was unable to produceenough oil to meet oil-for-food ceilings because theUN refused to approve contracts for spare parts forits petroleum industry. The facts demonstrate other-wise.

3 In the two and a half years that the oil-for-food pro-gram has been functioning, Iraq has been able tosell over $14.9 billion in oil. Iraqi oil exports arenear pre-war levels, and rising world oil prices areallowing more oil-for-food goods to be purchased.

3 The oil-for-food program has delivered $3.7 billionworth of food, $691 million worth of medicine, andmore than $500 million worth of supplies for elec-trical, water/sanitation, agricultural, education, oilindustry, settlement rehabilitation and deminingprojects.

3 Despite Iraqi obstructionism, oil-for-food has raisedby 50% the daily caloric value of the ration basketand has steadily improved health care for Iraqis.Infrastructure repair in areas such as agriculture,electricity, and water and sanitation is being under-taken.

Iraq has claimed it was unable to produce enough oil tomeet oil-for-food ceilings because the UN refused toapprove contracts for spare parts for its petroleumindustry. The fact is that hundreds of millions of dollarsof spare parts have been delivered and Iraqi oil produc-tion is expected to exceed pre-Gulf war levels.

3 Since the start of the oil-for-food program, of the7,560 contracts received, 5,901, or 78.1%, have beenapproved. Their total value is $7.7 billion.

3 The 448 contracts on hold as of August 1999 includerequests for items that can be used to make chemi-cal, biological and nuclear weapons. Many of these


SUMMARY

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Oil export revenue Food purchases

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Food purchases as of 9 August 1999a

Chart 1: Revenues from oil sales continue to increaseunder the oil-for-food program, yet the Iraqi regimerefuses to use them to buy food for its people.

Iraqi Oil Export Revenue and Oil-for-Food Purchasesa

items are on the list described in UNSCR 1051, thelist of goods which must be notified to and inspect-ed by UNSCOM and the IAEA. As Iraq is not per-mitting either organization to perform its UN-man-dated functions, there can be no assurance that Iraqwould not divert these dual-use items.

Iraqi Obstruction, not Sanctions,Hinders Effectiveness For five years, Iraq resisted international efforts toestablish the oil-for-food program.

3 Concerned about the welfare of the Iraqi people, theSecurity Council attempted to create an oil-for-foodprogram in 1991 that would allow Iraqi oil to besold, with proceeds deposited in a UN-controlledaccount and used to purchase humanitarian goodsfor the Iraqi people. Iraq rejected the SecurityCouncil’s original proposal.

3 In 1995,–over Iraq’s protests—the Security Counciladopted another oil-for-food resolution. Again, Iraqrefused to accept it. It was only after another yearand a half of Iraqi delays and international pres-sure that the Iraq regime agreed to accept oil-for-food.

The August 1999 UNICEF Report on Child Healthdemonstrates that Iraqi mismanagement, — if not alsodeliberate policy — not sanctions, is responsible formalnutrition and deaths.

3 In Northern Iraq, where the UN adminis-ters humanitarian assistance, child mortal-ity rates have fallen below pre-Gulf Warlevels. Rates rose in the period before oil-for-food, but with the introduction of theprogram the trend reversed, and now thoseIraqi children are better off than before thewar.

3 Child mortality figures have more thandoubled in the south and center of the coun-try, where the Iraqi government — ratherthan the UN — controls the program. If aturn-around on child mortality can bemade in the north, which is under the samesanctions as the rest of the country, there isno reason it cannot be done in the south andcenter.

The fact of the matter is, however, that the gov-ernment of Iraq does not share the internation-al community’s concern about the welfare of itspeople. Baghdad’s refusal to cooperate with theoil-for-food program and its deliberate misuse

of resources are cynical efforts to sacrifice the Iraqi peo-ple’s welfare in order to bring an end to UN sanctionswithout complying with its obligations.

3 The UN has reported that, despite Iraqi claims ofinfant malnutrition, the government of Iraq hasordered only a fraction of the nutrition supplies forvulnerable children and pregnant and nursingmothers recommended by the UN and for whichmoney has been set aside under the oil-for-food pro-gram. Only $1.7 million of $25 million set aside fornutritional supplements has been spent by Iraq. Inthe past eighteen months, Iraq has ordered no nutri-tional supplements.

3 The United Nations has reported that $200 millionworth of medicines and medical supplies sit undis-tributed in Iraqi warehouses. This is about half thevalue of all the medical supplies that have arrivedin Iraq since the start of the oil-for-food program.Saddam can move his troops and missiles aroundthe country, but claims that he doesn’t have enoughtransportation to distribute these medicines, even ashe alleges that children are dying due to sanctions.

3 Despite a 50% increase in oil revenues, Iraq hasincreased the amount earmarked for food purchasesby only 15.6%.

3 Baghdad has reduced from $8 million to $6 millionthe amount allocated to the supplemental nutrition-al support program for malnourished children andpregnant and lactating mothers.


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Under-Five Mortality Rates in Iraq, 1984-98

Chart 2: In Northern Iraq where the UN administers humanitarianassistance, child mortality rates have declined.In central and Southern Iraq where the Iraqi government controls theprogram rates have more than doubled.

Chart 3:The Iraqi Government has refused to distribute to the people of Iraq billions of dollars worth of supplies deliveredby the oil-for-food program.

Oil-for-Food Goods Remaining Undistributed in Iraq


Central/Southern Iraq Northern Iraq

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Chart 4: Under the oil-for-food program, Iraq’s imports of food have returned to pre-Gulf War levels. (Iraq rejected the oil-for-food program from 1991 to 1996.The first deliveries under oil-for-food began in 1997).

Iraqi Food Imports, 1980-98a

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MISUSE OF RESOURCES BY THE REGIME

SUMMARY

Rather than spend money to help its people, Iraq’s leaders

enrich themselves.

MismanagementWith Iraqi oil revenues burgeoning, it’s hard to under-stand why the people of Iraq aren’t better off. The rea-son is because the government of Iraq is mismanagingthe oil-for-food program, either deliberately or throughincompetence.

3 Despite reports of widespread health problems, thegovernment has still not spent the full $200 millionfor medical supplies allocated under phase five ofthe oil-for-food program (which ended in May). Only40% of the money was used to purchase medicinesfor primary care, while 60% was used to buy med-ical equipment.

3 While the average Iraqi needs basic medicines andmedical care, the government of Iraq spent $6 mil-lion on a gamma knife, an instrument used for com-plicated neurosurgery that requires extremelyadvanced training to use. Another several millionwas spent on a MRI machine, used for high-resolu-tion imaging. Such exotic treatment is reserved forregime bodyguards and other members of the elite.This total of $10 million could instead have benefit-ed thousands of Iraqi children if it had been spenton vaccines, antibiotics, and the chemotherapeuticsnecessary to treat the large numbers of children thatare allegedly dying due to lack of medicine.

Personal EnrichmentWhile the people of Iraq go wanting, their leadersenrich themselves.

3 In July 1999, Forbes Magazine estimated SaddamHussein’s personal wealth at $6 billion, acquiredprimarily from oil and smuggling.

3 Medicines received through the oil-for-food programare sold by the regime to private hospitals at exorbi-tant prices.

3 Members of the government and top military andsecurity officials are provided with extra monthlyfood rations, Mercedes automobiles, and monthlystipends in the thousands of dollars. By compari-son, the average monthly government salary is6,500 dinars, or about $3.50.



Saddam’s ExcessesIn addition to the revenues generated under the oil-for-food program, the government of Iraq earns moneyfrom other sources which it controls. Rather than spendthese funds to help the people of Iraq, Saddam Husseinchooses to build monuments to himself. In addition, hedeprives those in need of water and other scarceresources in order to favor elites and other supportersof the regime.

3 Saddam celebrated his birthday this year by build-ing a resort complex for regime loyalists. Since theGulf War, Saddam has spent over $2 billion on pres-idential palaces. Some of these palaces boast gold-plated faucets and man-made lakes and waterfalls,which use pumping equipment that could have beenused to address civilian water and sanitation needs.

3 In April 1999, Iraqi officials inaugurated Saddamiatal Tharthar. Located 85 miles west of Baghdad, thissprawling lakeside vacation resort contains stadi-ums, an amusement park, hospitals, parks, and 625homes to be used by government officials. This pro-ject cost hundreds of millions of dollars. There is no

clearer example of the government’s lack of concernfor the needs of its people than Saddamiat alTharthar (see photo 2).

3 In July, Baghdad increased taxes on vehicle owner-ship and marriage dowries, after earlier increasesin taxes, fees, and fuel and electricity prices. This isin part what pays for Saddam’s palaces. Saddamalso uses food rations, medical care, and other stateresources to buy the loyalty of his inner circle andsecurity forces.

3 Iraq is facing its worst drought in 50 years. As aresult, the government is restricting the planting ofrice and told farmers not to plant summer cropswithout permission from the Ministry of Irrigation.The water levels of the reservoirs supplying SaddamHussein’s region of Tikrit, however, were at normalseasonal levels, while the flow of water to the south-ern cities was dramatically lower than during theprevious two years. Saddam is diverting water toserve his political objectives, at the expense of thegeneral population.

Photo 2: Saddamiat al Tharthar, Iraq, resort city built for Regime Vip’s, April 1999

Saddam Hussein’s repression of the Iraqi people has not stopped.

He is draining the southern marshes, causing grave

environmental damage and forcible relocation of civilians in an attempt

to eliminate opposition to theregime.

He is murdering Shi’a clerics.

He is destroying villages and forcibly relocating people in both the north

and the south and destroying villages in the south.

International human rights groups and others are gathering

evidence and working to establishan international criminal court to

try Saddam and his senior aidesfor war crimes and crimes against

humanity.

He has used chemical weapons against his own people.

UNSC Resolution 688In Resolution 688 (1991), the UN Security Council con-demned the Government of Iraq’s repression of theIraqi civilian population, which it concluded threatenedinternational peace and security in the region.

The Council demanded that Iraq immediately endthis repression and allow immediate access by interna-tional humanitarian organizations to all those in needof assistance in all parts of Iraq.

Iraq has neither ended the repression of its civilianpopulation nor allowed outside organizations access tohelp those in need. The government of Iraq uses mili-tary force to repress civilian populations throughoutthe country, resulting in the deaths of thousands andthe destruction of entire villages.

3 Iraq has refused to allow the UN’s SpecialRapporteur for Human Rights to return to Iraqsince his first visit in 1992. The government of Iraqhas refused to allow the stationing of human rightsmonitors as required by the resolutions of the UNGeneral Assembly and the UN Commission onHuman Rights. The regime expelled UN personneland NGOs who, until 1992, ensured the delivery ofhumanitarian relief services throughout the country.

3 Iraqi authorities routinely practice extrajudicial,summary or arbitrary executions throughout thoseparts of the country still under regime control. Thetotal number of prisoners believed to have been exe-cuted since autumn 1997 exceeds 2,500. Thisincludes hundreds of arbitrary executions in the lastmonths of 1998 at Abu Ghraib and Radwaniyahprisons near Baghdad.

3 In the 1970s and 1980s, the Iraqi regime destroyedover 3,000 Kurdish villages. The destruction ofKurdish and Turkomen homes is still going on inIraqi-controlled areas of northern Iraq, as evidencedthe destruction by Iraqi forces of civilian homes inthe citadel of Kirkuk (see Photo 3 & 4).

3 In northern Iraq, the government is continuing itscampaign of forcibly deporting Kurdish andTurkomen families to southern governorates. As aresult of these forced deportations, approximately900,000 citizens are internally displaced through-out Iraq. Local officials in the south have ordered

REPRESSION OF THE IRAQI PEOPLE

SUMMARY



the arrest of any official or citizen who providesemployment, food or shelter to newly arrivingKurds.

3 Iraq’s 1988-89 Anfal campaign subjected theKurdish people in northern Iraq to the most wide-spread attack of chemical weapons ever usedagainst a civilian population. The Iraqi militaryattacked a number of towns and villages in northern Iraqwith chemical weapons. In the town of Halabja alone, an estimated 5,000 civilians were killed and more than10,000 were injured (see photo 5).

3 The scale and severity of Iraqi attacks on Shi’a civil-ians in the south of Iraq have been increasingsteadily. The Human Rights Organization in Iraq(HROI) reports that 1,093 persons were arrested inJune 1999 in Basrah alone. Tanks from theHammourabi Republican Guards Division attackedthe towns of Rumaitha and Khudur on June 26,after residents protested the systematic maldistrib-

ution of food and medicine to the detriment of theShi’a. Iraqi troops killed fourteen villagers, arrestedmore than a hundred more, and destroyed fortyhomes. On June 29, the Supreme Council for theIslamic Resistance in Iraq reported that 160 homesin the Abul Khaseeb district near Basra weredestroyed (see photo 8).

3 In March 1999, the regime gunned down GrandAyatollah al Sayyid Mohammad Sadiq al Sadr, themost senior Shi’a religious leader in Iraq. Since1991, dozens of senior Shi’a clerics and hundreds oftheir followers have either been murdered or arrest-ed by the authorities,and their whereabouts remainunknown.

3 In the southern marshes, government forces haveburned houses and fields, demolished houses withbulldozers, and undertaken a deliberate campaignto drain and poison the marshes. Villages belongingto the al Juwaibiri, al Shumaish, al Musa and al

Photo 3: Kirkuk Citadel before September 1997

Rahma tribes were entirely destroyed and theinhabitants forcibly expelled. Government troopsexpelled the population of other areas at gunpointand also forced them to relocate by cutting off theirwater supply (see photo 6 & 7).

War CrimesThe nature and magnitude of the crimes committed bySaddam Hussein and his regime since 1980 demandthat all efforts be made to hold those individualsaccountable for their crimes. We believe that SaddamHussein and key members of his regime should bebrought to justice for their past and current crimes.

Photo 4: Kirkuk Citadel after August 1998

Photo 5: Chemical-gas victim,Mahnaz Moham from Halabja.


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Photo 6: Southern Marshes before attack by the Iraqi Government.

Photo 7: Southern Marshes after attack by the Iraqi Government.



Photo 8: On June 29, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Resistance in Iraq reported that 160 homes in the Abul Khaseeb district near Basra were destroyed.

EVADING U.N. RESOLUTIONS AND FAILURE TO DISARM

While its repression of the Iraqipeople continues, the Iraqi regimestill is far from complying with itsobligations under United Nations

Security Council resolutions.It has not fully complied with

a single resolution.

It has not fully declared anddestroyed its WMD programs. It has

not ceased concealment of itsWMD. It has not responded fully to questions from UNSCOM and the

IAEA. (UNSCRs 687, 707, 715, 1051)

It has not returned Kuwaiti andThird Country POWs and Missing

Persons (UNSCRs 686 and 687).605 Kuwaiti POW/MIAs and 34Saudis remain unaccounted for.

It has not returned all stolenKuwaiti property (UNSCR 686). In

fact, some is still deployed with Iraqimilitary units

It has not stopped repressing itscivilian population (UNSCR 688).

What Disarmament Means UNSCR 687 and related resolutions 707, 715, and 1051stipulate that Iraq must provide full, final and com-plete disclosure of all aspects of its nuclear, chemical,biological, and long-range missile weapons programs;allow unconditional inspection access by internationalmonitors; cease any attempt to conceal, move, ordestroy any material or equipment related to these pro-grams; and cooperate with UN monitoring of relevantIraqi facilities and trade activities.

What Iraq Has DoneWhen these resolutions were passed, it was expectedthat compliance would require no more than 90 days.Instead, nine years later, sanctions remain in placebecause Iraq has decided to (1) hide weapons and majorcomponents of these programs, (2) secretly destroyolder, less-capable weapons and equipment, and (3)give UN inspectors fraudulent declarations to maskweapons and equipment that are still hidden.

3 Iraq began playing hide-and-seek with UN inspec-tors in 1991. In December 1998, Saddam stopped allcooperation with the UN, refusing to let anyweapons inspectors into the country.

3 In July 1998, Iraq seized from the hands ofUNSCOM inspectors an Iraqi Air Force documentindicating that Iraq had misrepresented the expen-diture of over 6,000 bombs which may have con-tained over 700 tons of chemical agent. Iraq contin-ues to refuse to provide this document to the UN.

3 Iraq continues to deny weaponizing VX nerve agent,despite the fact that UNSCOM found VX nerveagent residues on Iraqi SCUD missile warheadfragments. Based on its investigations, internation-al experts concluded that “Iraq has the know-howand process equipment, and may possess precursorsto manufacture as much as 200 tons of VX … Theretention of a VX capability by Iraq cannot beexcluded by the UNSCOM international expertteam.”

3 Iraq has refused to credibly account for 500 tons ofSCUD propellant, over 40 SCUD biological andconventional warheads, 7 Iraqi-produced SCUDs,

EVADING U.N. RESOLUTIONSAND FAILURE TO DISARM

SUMMARY

EVADING U.N. RESOLUTIONS AND FAILURE TO DISARM

and truckloads of SCUD components.

3 Iraq refuses to allow inspection of thousands ofMinistry of Defense and Military IndustriesCommission documents relating to biological andchemical weapons and long-range missiles.

3 In 1995, Iraqis who conducted field trials of R-400bombs filled with biological agents described thetests to UNSCOM experts in considerable detail,including the use of many animals. These field tri-als were reflected in Iraq’s June 1996 biologicalweapons declaration. Yet, amazingly, Iraq nowdenies that any such trials were conducted at all.

3 In September 1995, Iraq finally declared the exis-tence of two projects to disseminate biological agentsfrom Mirage F-1 and MiG-21 aircraft, yet there is noevidence that the prototype weapons and aircraftwere ever destroyed. There is also no evidence thatthe 12 Iraqi helicopter-borne aerosol generators forbiological weapon delivery were ever destroyed.

3 Apart from one document referring to a single year,no Iraqi biological weapon production records havebeen given to the UN — no records of storage, of fill-

ing into munitions, or of destruction. This is whyUNSCOM refers to Iraq’s biological weapons pro-gram — which deployed SCUD missile warheadsfilled with anthrax and botulinum toxin to be readyfor use against Coalition forces — as a “black hole.”

3 The Iraqis have repeatedly changed their storyabout their biological weapons warheads. Iraq hasrevised several times its declarations regarding theprecise locations of warhead destruction and the fillof warheads. The movements of concealed warheadsprior to unilateral destruction, claimed by Iraq,have been proven to be false.

3 At the request of the UNSC, Brazilian AmbassadorAmorim led a review of the mechanisms designed toensure Iraqi disarmament. His 7 April 1999 reportaffirmed that future work “should be based on thefull implementation of the plans for ongoing moni-toring and verification approved by SecurityCouncil Resolution 715 (1991)” and called for Iraqto provide UNSCOM and IAEA inspectors with allthe rights called for by UNSC resolutions 687, 707,and 1051.” Rather than do so, Saddam has refusedto allow weapons inspectors into Iraq.

IRAQ IS A REGIONAL THREAT

Iraq under Saddam Husseinremains dangerous,

unreconstructed, and defiant.It has not disarmed. It has never

apologized or expressed regret for the invasion of Kuwait.It continues to repress its people.

This is a dangerous regime thatthreatens its neighbors, has a long

history of aggression, has ambitionsto dominate the Gulf by force, and

retains the capability to do so.

History of AggressionFar from apologizing for its invasion of Kuwait, Iraqcontinues to assert that its actions were justified.

3 On this year’s ninth anniversary of the invasion ofKuwait, the government newspaper Babel — ownedby Saddam’s son Uday — stated “We still believethat what we did on August 2, 1990, was the rightresponse to foil a large and abortive conspiracy.”

3 In an editorial on August 2, 1999, al Thawra, theregime’s mouthpiece, referred to Iraq’s invasion ofKuwait as, “the honorable day of the call.”

3 In 1994, Saddam attempted to blackmail the UNSecurity Council into lifting sanctions by massinghis forces for another invasion of Kuwait. Inresponse, the UNSC passed Resolution 949, order-ing Iraq to withdraw its Republican Guard forcesfrom southern Iraq.

Not only does Baghdad consider its invasion of Kuwait“honorable,” but Saddam Hussein has gone so far as tocall for the overthrow of fellow Arab leaders and toattempt to murder the Emir of Kuwait and former pres-ident George Bush.

3 In Saddam’s Army Day speech of January 6, 1999,he said: “Release your anger and rebel against thedefiled ones who are playing with your fate and thefate of the nation…. Rebel against those who areproud of the friendship of the United States, thosewho are proud of being U.S. protégées…”

3 In 1993, Iraq organized an attempt to assassinateformer U.S. President George Bush and the Emir ofKuwait.

3 In August 1996, the regime’s forces attacked theKurdish-held city of Irbil. Within hours, Iraqi secretpolice had swarmed over the city, arresting hun-dreds and killing scores of suspected oppositionists

3 Baghdad continues to harbor the Muhjahideen e-Khalq (MEK), Iranian dissents who conduct a wide-spread terrorist campaign to support their politicalagenda. In the past, the MEK has been responsiblefor attacks on Americans, (including participating


SUMMARY


in the seizure of the US embassy in Tehran in 1979),Iraqis, Iranians, and Europeans.

3 Saddam continues to attack coalition aircraftenforcing the no-fly zones, which were established toprevent Saddam from attacking Kurdish and Shi’acivilians, in violation of UNSC Resolutions 688 and949.

WMD CapabilitySaddam retains the capability to inflict significantdamage upon Iraq’s neighbors and its own civilian pop-ulation.

3 Since December 1998, Saddam Hussein has prevent-ed UN weapons inspectors from even entering Iraq.We do not know for sure what he is doing under theroofs of the weapons factories they routinely moni-tored. So, in addition to the weapons he has workedso hard to hide since 1991, Saddam may well havehis experts making chemical and biologicalweapons, and pursuing nuclear weapon designs.

3 Iraq is capable of assembling its prohibited Al-Hussein long-range missiles with key parts knownto have been stripped from destroyed importedSCUDs.

3 Iraq has refused to account for precursor chemicalscapable of making as much as 200 tons of VX nerveagent. Iraq has the know-how and equipment toweaponize VX, despite its continuing denials.

3 Iraq loaded VX, anthrax, botulism toxin, and otherchemical and biological agents into Al-Hussein mis-sile warheads and deployed them during the GulfWar.

3 Iraq loaded thousands of munitions such as aerialbombs, tactical rockets, and artillery shells with avariety of chemical and biological agents similar tothose used against Iran and against Iraqi civilians.

Without sanctions, Saddam would be free to use hisresources to rearm and make good on his threatsagainst Kuwait and the region.

U.S. POLICY

The United States wants to see Iraq return as a respected and

prosperous member of the international community.

As long as Saddam Hussein is inpower, however, we don’t believe

that that’s going to happen.

ContainmentGiven Saddam Hussein’s long record of aggressionagainst his neighbors and repression of his own people,and absent any proof that he has in fact disarmed, it isimportant that the international community remainunited in containing this dangerous regime.

3 Sanctions will remain in place until UNSC require-ments are fully met.

3 Only a robust, fully empowered inspection regimecan determine if Iraq is fully disarmed. A weakinspection regime will not be effective.

3 No-fly zones will be enforced to prevent Saddamfrom using his air force and helicopters to slaughterhis people, as he has repeatedly done in the past. No-fly zones also contain Saddam Hussein’s ability tothreaten his neighbors.

3 The United States will use force if Saddam threat-ens Iraq’s neighbors or coalition forces, reconstitutesor deploys WMD, or moves against the Kurds.

Humanitarian ReliefAt the same time, we are working to relieve the suffer-ing of the Iraqi people by:

3 Expanding Iraqi oil sales making more moneyavailable for oil-for-food.

3 Working to get Iraq to order more food, especiallynutritional supplements for children and lactatingmothers, which it has until now refused to do.

3 Expediting approval of contracts under oil-for-food.

3 Supporting a draft UNSC resolution which propos-es lifting the oil-for-food ceiling on oil sales.

The international community, not Saddam Hussein, iscaring for the Iraqi people.

Regime ChangeSaddam’s record over the past 10 years, however,demonstrates that he will never comply with UN reso-

U.S. POLICY

SUMMARY

lutions and that he will continue to repress his ownpeople and threaten his neighbors. That is why webelieve that the only way to address the security needsof the international community and the needs of thepeople of Iraq is through a new government inBaghdad, one that is committed to living in peace withits neighbors and respecting the rights of its citizens.Iraq, the region, and the world would be better off witha new government in Iraq.

3 We support the territorial integrity of Iraq. Onenation, whole and free. Saddam Hussein is not

what’s holding Iraq together; he’s what’s breaking itapart.

3 The United States believes that if there is to bechange, it must come from within Iraq, led byIraqis. We do not seek to impose an American solu-tion or a foreign opposition on the people of Iraq.

3 In a post-Saddam Iraq, the United States will takethe lead to foster economic development, restoreIraqi civil society, rebuild the middle class, andrestore Iraq’s health and education sectors.

U.S. POLICY

Saddam Hussein and his closestaides have committed a long list ofcriminal violations of internationalhumanitarian law and the laws and

customs of war. Saddam Husseinand his closest aides should be

investigated, indicted, andprosecuted for these crimes.

The goal of the United States is to see Saddam indicted by an

international tribunal. We aregathering our own evidence against

Saddam and providing support togroups working on Iraqi war

crimes issues.

War Crimes and Crimes Against HumanitySaddam Hussein seized power in 1979. The list of warcrimes and crimes against humanity committed bySaddam Hussein and his regime is a long one. Itincludes:

3 The use of poison gas and other war crimes againstIran and the Iranian people during the 1980-88Iran-Iraq war. Iraq summarily executed thousandsof Iranian prisoners of war as a matter of policy.

3 The "Anfal" campaign in the late 1980's against theIraqi Kurds, including the use of poison gas oncities. In one of the worst single mass killings inrecent history, Iraq dropped chemical weapons onHalabja in 1988, in which as many as 5,000 people-- mostly civilians -- were killed.

3 Crimes against humanity and war crimes arising outof Iraq's 1990-91 invasion and occupation of Kuwait.

3 Crimes against humanity and possibly genocideagainst Iraqi Kurds in northern Iraq. This includesthe destruction of over 3,000 villages. The Iraqi gov-ernment's campaign of forced deportations ofKurdish and Turkomen families to southern Iraqhas created approximately 900,000 internally dis-placed citizens throughout the country.

3 Crimes against humanity and possibly genocideagainst Marsh Arabs and Shi'a Arabs in southernIraq. Entire populations of villages have beenforcibly expelled. Government forces have burnedtheir houses and fields, demolished houses withbulldozers, and undertaken a deliberate campaignto drain and poison the marshes. Thousands ofcivilians have been summarily executed.

3 Possible crimes against humanity for killings, osten-sibly against political opponents, within Iraq.

Holding Saddam AccountableThe United States wants to see Saddam and his closeaides investigated, indicted, and if possible, prosecutedby an international tribunal. The Yugoslav war crimestribunal's May 1999 indictment of Slobodan Milosevicfor crimes against the Muslim Kosovar Albanian people

WAR CRIMES

SUMMARY

WAR CRIMES

shows that when crimes are committed on the scalethat Saddam Hussein has committed them, justiceshould be done not just in the name of the victims, butin the name of all humanity.

The United States is helping international efforts togather evidence.

3 The U.S. Government helped human rights andopposition groups collect 5.5 million pages of cap-tured Iraqi documents from the "Anfal" campaignagainst the Iraqi Kurds in the 1980's. These docu-ments show the routine nature of the atrocities andabuses committed by Saddam Hussein's regimeagainst the Iraqi people. These documents arebeing catalogued, indexed, and electronically tran-scribed for use by investigators and prosecutors.

3 Tens of thousands of pages of Iraqi documents cap-tured during Operation Desert Storm in 1991 are

also now being indexed and computerized. Theoriginals themselves will be returned to Kuwait andcomputerized copies will be made available tohuman rights groups, scholars, investigators andprosecutors.

3 The U.S. has large amounts of information on Iraq'scampaign to destroy the Southern Marshes andrepression of the people of southern Iraq.

3 We are preserving videotapes of Iraqi war crimesthat can be used for eventual prosecution of Iraqiwar crimes. The United States also has classifieddocuments, some of which can be declassified andshared with an international tribunal or commission.

Saddam Hussein's Iraq is a brutal police state and sothe collection of evidence of the crimes of the regime isdifficult to obtain. Opposition groups work with great

WAR CRIMES

As this photo shows, the destruction of villages in southernIraq has continued into 1999. Iraqi forces have intensifiedtheir leveling of the village of al Masha.

courage to bring this news to the world. We are work-ing with Iraqi opposition and human rights groups insupport of their efforts to collect additional evidence ofSaddam's war crimes. Opposition and human rightsgroups' efforts include:

3 Locating witnesses to Iraqi war crimes and helpbuild evidence that could be used to justify the arrestof senior Iraqi officials traveling outside the country.

3 Helping analyze captured Iraqi documents andtranslate them so that the world can be educatedabout Iraqi war crimes.

The U.S. Government is providing grants to a numberof NGO's working on Iraqi war crimes issues. Grantshave been provided for gathering evidence, translatingcaptured Iraqi documents written in Arabic into otherlanguages, making evidence of Iraqi war crimes avail-

able on the Internet, and taking steps to preserve writ-ten, visual and testimonial evidence of the crimes com-mitted by Saddam Hussein's regime.

International efforts to draw attention to the warcrimes record of the Iraqi regime has already begun:

3 Efforts were made to arrest Izzat Ibrahim, ViceChairman of the Revolutionary Command Council,while he was visiting Austria in August of 1999.

3 A few weeks later, Iraqi Deputy Prime MinisterTariq Aziz decided not to travel to Italy to attend aconference entitled, "Peace, Prosperity, and an Endto War." As one human rights group said, "The onlysuitable venue for Tariq Aziz to express his opinionsis that of a courtroom where we will all have achance to hear about his government's record onpeace, prosperity and war."

WAR CRIMES

This document is also available:http://www.usia.gov/regional/nea/nea.htm

Over 94% of all requested oil-for-food goods have been approved.

That is $8.9 billion worth of humanitarian items for the Iraqi

people. No holds are placed on foodand medicine.

The 6% of goods which are on holdinclude contracts for dual-use itemsthat Iraq can use to rebuild its mili-tary capabilities. Holds are placed

on contracts that do not haveenough information to determine

whether they include dual-use items.Once that information is provided,these holds are often released. In

other cases, holds are placed on con-tracts submitted by firms with a

record of sanctions violations.Contract holds are not the problem.It is Saddam Hussein who continuesto reject UN recommendations forordering adequate amounts of food

and other basic humanitarian goods.Instead, he seeks to use the oil-for-food program to rebuild his army

and export oil in order to buildpalaces and obtain luxuries for his

family and regime supporters. Holdson inappropriate contracts help pre-

vent the diversion of oil-for-foodgoods to further Saddam’s personal

interests.

Only a small number of contracts onhold...

Proposed oil-for-food contracts must be approved by allmembers of a committee made up of Security Councilmember states. Only a small number of such contractsare put on hold.

3 Since its inception, the Sanctions Committee hasapproved 94% of all requested oil-for-food goods.That is over $8.90 billion worth of contracts.

3 The Sanctions Committee has put holds on less than6% of the goods submitted to it. NONE OF THECONTRACTS ON HOLD ARE FOR FOOD. Iraqnow imports about as much food as it did before theGulf War.

3 Over 9,200 contracts have been reviewed by theSanctions Committee; all but 694 have beenapproved. Many of these 694 contracts are delayedpending receipt of additional information from thecontracting companies.

3 Iraq usually delays submission to the UN of the listof goods it wants to order during each six-monthphase of the oil-for-food program until the lastminute. In this way it tries to sneak in proscribeditems by forcing the UN either to halt the flow of oil-for-food goods or to approve dubious contracts.

3 The United States takes its responsibilities very seri-ously and reviews each proposed oil-for-food con-tract thoroughly.

3 We know that the Iraqi regime is trying to use theprogram to import dual-use items for military usesrather than for their intended purpose of relievingthe suffering of the Iraqi people. The U.S., inreviewing oil-for-food contracts, cannot and will notignore the known intentions of the government ofIraq to obtain weapons, including chemical and bio-logical weapons. These intentions have been demon-strated repeatedly in the past nine years.

HOLDS ON OIL-FOR-FOODCONTRACTS

SUMMARY

November 23, 1999 Holds on Oil-for-Food Contracts

...And for good reasons

Contracts should not be blocked without serious cause.There are good reasons why each delayed contract hasbeen put on hold.

3 The most frequent reason for placing a hold on acontract is the information that accompanies thecontract. There are currently over 250 contracts onhold because the technical information or the end-use information in the contract is insufficient tojudge the dual-use potential of the ordered goods.

3 The United States has placed a hold on over 200contracts that include dual-use items. The SecurityCouncil has created a list of items which can be usedto build weapons of mass destruction and which theSecurity Council has said must be monitored byUNSCOM or the IAEA. With Iraq blocking those

agencies from performing these missions, it wouldbe dangerous to allow dual-use items into Iraq.

3 There are 55 contracts on hold which are destinedfor the Basrah refinery, where Iraq produces gasoilwhich it smuggles out of Iraq in violation of UNsanctions. The profits from this illicit trade areused by the government of Iraq to procure items pro-hibited by sanctions, including luxuries for mem-bers of Saddam’s inner circle, and continued con-struction of elaborate palaces.

3 There are 90 contracts on hold because we haveinformation that they are linked to a company thatis operating or has operated in violation of sanc-tions.

Holds on Oil-for-Food Contracts November 23, 1999

Part of a 814,000 square meter complex outside Baghdad, and begun while sanctions have been in effect, construction of the AlSalam Palace was completed in September, 1999.

3 Another 14 contracts are on hold because the goodsare destined for an oil export facility, which does nothave the required UN authorization to operate.

3 Another 23 contracts are on hold because they con-tain financial terms that the Committee agreed arenot allowed under Security Council resolutions.

Iraqi obstruction of the oil-for-foodprogram

Despite the Iraqi regime’s persistent efforts to obstructthe oil-for-food program and manipulate it for the pur-poses of rewarding Saddam’s supporters, the UnitedStates is committed to doing everything we can to seethat the program benefits the Iraqi people.

3 The Iraqi government continues to smuggle goodsout of Iraq to get revenue for its illicit activities. Inaddition to illegally exporting oil and gasoil, twicein the last three months ships have been caught try-ing to smuggle tons of food and nursing supplies outof Iraq to get hard currency for the Iraqi regime.

3 Although the primary responsibility for the well-being of the Iraqi people lies with the Government ofIraq, the Iraqi government spends the revenue itcontrols on goods not permitted under sanctions,including luxury items for the regime’s inner circle,rather than the needs of the Iraqi people. Contraryto recommendations from the UN, it drags its heelsin ordering nutritional supplements and otherhumanitarian goods needed by the people of Iraq.

3 Stark evidence of the government’s callous policieswas documented in a recent UNICEF survey, whichfound that child mortality rates doubled in Southand Central Iraq, where Saddam Hussein controlsdistribution of humanitarian assistance, but childmortality rates actually dropped in the North, wherethe UN controls distribution.

November 23, 1999 Holds on Oil-for-Food Contracts


November 18, 1999

Since the end of the Gulf War, SaddamHussein has directed and sustained a multi-

billion dollar palace construction programwhile pleading that the UN sanctions keep

him too poor to feed and provide health carefor his people.While he keeps Iraq’s hospitalshelves bare and shows them to journalists,

Saddam restricts access to the new andornate palaces to himself and his chosen

admirers of any given moment. Moreover,Saddam fits out these monuments with the

finest foreign materials — from goldenplumbing to the finest European marble and

crystal chandeliers — smuggled in despitethe “embargo” that Baghdad propaganda

falsely claims blocks the import of food andmedicine.

Saddam Hussein pays for these palaces withthat part of the Iraqi national wealth that he

has managed to keep under his control andout of the UN’s mandatory oil-for-food pro-gram. Through that program, the UN con-

trols how Iraqi oil revenues are spent andcompels the regime to invest Iraq’s oil

wealth for the benefit of its people. Butevery day that he remains in power, Saddamlets his favored supporters steal hundreds of

thousands of barrels of oil from the Iraqipeople to enrich themselves, in direct viola-

tion of UN resolutions.

Most Iraqis and the few foreign visitors toIraq only get to see the outer walls of

Saddam’s monuments to his glory. Thisreport provides satellite images that allow

Iraqis and the rest of the world to see betterhow Saddam Hussein spends some of the

money that he is able to steal from thenational wealth of the Iraqi people.

Palace Construction

Photographic evidence confirms that Saddam Husseinand his regime have sustained a non-stop program ofpalace building since 1991. Saddam has been spendingbillions of dollars on the man-made lakes, waterfalls,marble, and other luxuries that make up his palacesand those of his supporters. At the same time, Saddamparades well-intentioned foreigners to gawk at the sickand hungry of Iraq, as he pleads that UN sanctions pre-vent him from buying or importing his people’s mostbasic needs.

3 Among the more notable features of these palacesare: extensive security facilities to protect the regimefrom its own people; elaborate gardens whichrequire large amounts of water, often in drought-stricken areas; and sophisticated waterfalls andother waterworks using pumps and other infra-structure that the regime says sanctions prevent itfrom importing for the Iraqi people.

3 Saddam ruthlessly protects the extent of his luxury.According to Iraqi opposition sources, Saddamrecently ordered the execution of one of the Iraqiarchitects who worked on presidential palaces inTikrit, Al-Hillah, Al-Azimiyah, and Al-Wafa. Hiscrime was to describe to friends the sumptuousnessand lavishness of Saddam’s palaces, and the swim-ming pools, fish aquariums, and deer farms in thevicinity of some of them. A circular was then sentaround to workers in the engineering department ofthe Presidential Office warning them that theharshest punishment will be inflicted on anyonewho talks about the presidential sites, even to fami-ly members. Our knowledge of the inside ofSaddam’s palaces comes from first-hand informa-tion from international observers who have traveledto Iraq and visited the palaces.

PALACES AND OILSMUGGLING

SUMMARY

February 22, 2000 Palaces and Oil Smuggling

Palaces and Oil Smuggling February 22, 2000

Located 150 miles north of Baghdad in Saddam's home region, this site was completed inNovember 1993. It covers two and a half square miles and consists of a Presidential and VIP resi-dential compounds. It is second only to the President's Tikrit residence in overall size.


This site, built over 2.2 square kilometers and completed in 1994, contains Saddam Hussein’snorthernmost presidential site and includes several palaces and VIP residences, three lakes,and man-made waterfalls.

Completed in 1995, al Azimiyah is one of five major palaces located in Baghdad.

Al Salam palace is located on the site of the former Republican Guard Headquarters, whichwas destroyed in Desert Storm. Construction has been ongoing since then and was completedin early 1999.


Located 90 miles north of Baghdad and covering 4.0 square kilometers, this is the largestand most elaborate of the presidential sites. In addition to palaces and VIP residences pic-tured here, the site also includes farms and rural retreats for VIPs located farther to thewest. Construction at the Tikrit Residential site has been ongoing since 1991.



Construction at the Abu Ghurayb Presidential Palace is also ongoing. As the photos show, itfeatures extensive and complex water works. The government of Iraq claims extensive cropdamage due to drought, yet it doesn't hesitate to use scarce water resources to ensure thatthe lakes of Saddam's palaces are filled and grounds well cared for.

Oil Smuggling

Where does Saddam get thebillions of dollars needed tobuild these palaces? Part of

it comes from funds he con-trols directly. Part of it

comes from oil producedand exported in violation ofUN Security Council resolu-

tions. These resolutionscompel Saddam to spendrevenues from the sale of

Iraq’s oil solely for the bene-fit of the Iraqi people. In

order to fund his palace con-struction and other illicitexpenditures, Saddam is

smuggling substantial quanti-ties of it abroad.

3 The Basrah refinery was put outof operation in Operation DesertFox in 1998. Iraq has rebuilt ithowever, and the refinery isoperating at near capacity,which is approximately 140,000barrels per day.

3 Under UN Security CouncilResolutions and the oil-for-foodprogram, Iraq is permitted toexport oil only through theapproved facilities in Mina alBaqr in the northern PersianGulf and via the oil pipelinethrough Turkey through theport of Ceyhan. The productionand export of gasoil from theBasrah refinery is outside theoil-for-food program and a vio-lation of UN sanctions.



3 The Iraqi government claims that sanc-tions prevent it from getting spare partsneeded to repair its oil industry and thatthis is to blame for low production levels.The activities of the Basrah refinery provethat such claims are false. Clearly, Iraqhas no problem getting spare parts for itsoil industry. The problem is that theregime of Saddam Hussein prefers to pro-duce and export oil illegally, outside theoil-for-food program so that he can con-trol the revenues and use them for his ownpersonal aggrandizement.

3 Since repairing the Basrah refinery, Iraqhas steadily increased the amount of oilillegally exported via the Persian Gulf.Illicit oil exports averaged about 50,000b/d for much of 1998, until they endedwith the attack on the Basrah refinery inDecember of 1998. Iraq resumed exportsin August of 1999. Smuggling reached70,000 b/d in December and averagedabout 100,000 b/d in January 2000. Weestimate that Baghdad has earned morethan $25 million in January alone. Thereis no evidence that any of this money hasbeen spent to improve the humanitariansituation of the Iraqi people.


Saddam Hussein’s IraqSaddam Hussein’s priorities are clear. If given control of Iraq’s resources, Saddam Hussein would use them to rearm and threaten the region, not to improve

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