Iraqi Nuclear Scientist: Saddam Hid Biological and Chemical WMD (TV Interview)

Iraqi Nuclear Scientist: Saddam Hid Biological and
Chemical WMD (TV Interview)
MEMRI ^ | 8/10/2004


Iraqi Nuclear Scientist: Saddam Hid Biological and
Chemical WMD

Iraqi nuclear scientist Hussein Isma'il Al-Bahdli
spoke about Saddam's nuclear and WMD program on
Al-Fayhaa, the new Iraqi channel broadcasting from the
UAE. The following are excerpts:

Interviewer: Was there a real reason for the fears of
the Iraqi weapons of mass destruction?

Al-Bahdli: Certainly, because had Saddam's program
continued according to plan, he would have achieved
this weapon and it is impossible that he would have
kept this kind of weapon only for defensive purposes.

Interviewer: In a nutshell, how much time did Iraq
need, before the Gulf War, to reach the manufacturing
of a nuclear bomb?

Al-Bahdli: According to the information I was privy to
at the time, perhaps a limited number of years. Within
two years or less, he could have�?

Interviewer: Would this have been a primitive or
advanced bomb?

Al-Bahdli: He could undoubtedly have reached the stage
of carrying out a nuclear explosion and as a result of
this he could have continued manufacturing a nuclear
bomb if he had the required raw materials.

Interviewer: The fears in the UN, the inspection
commissions and all that happened�? Did Iraq have
biological or chemical weapons, manufactured or
purchased, that were hidden?

Al-Bahdli: The truth is that there is no doubt that in
the early stages of inspection there were remnants of
what was destroyed following the invasion of Kuwait.
Part of this was destroyed, for instance by the
inspection teams who found them on various occasions.
Another part remained hidden and occasionally they
tried to transfer it from one area to another by the
Republican Guard forces that had it in their
possession and were the only forces he would trust
within Iraq.