Germans guilty in Iraq supergun case A court in the German city of Mannheim has convicted two businessmen of supplying weapons-making equipment to Iraq in violation of UN sanctions. Engineer Bernd "Wild" Schompeter was sentenced to five years and three months for dealing in drills that can be used for boring tubes for long-range cannons, capable of launching nuclear, chemical or biological warheads. A second defendant, Willi Heinz Ribbeck, was given a two-year suspended sentence for failing to alert his superiors to the sale of the drills to Mr Schompeter by his Burgsmueller machine company. Both defendants, who are in their 50s, have confessed to the main charge of supplying the equipment. Mr Schompeter admitted delivering the drills to an Iraqi-born US businessman in Jordan, from where they were sent on to Iraq. But he denied knowing the equipment could be used to make large guns. Other investigations Prosecutors are seeking extradition of the third man, Sahib Abd al-Amir al-Haddad, following his arrest in Bulgaria in November. The BBC's Jonathan Charles says prosecutors are hoping the punishments will deter others from helping Iraq to obtain weapons. There are concerns that this may not be an isolated case and investigations into other companies are continuing. Last December, Tageszeitung newspaper reported that over 80 German companies were listed in Iraq's weapons report to the UN. Several of these were still involved in Iraq last year, thereby breaking the UN weapons embargo. Of further embarrassment to Germany is that - according to the newspaper article - German companies make up more than half of the total number of institutions listed in the report. Under UN resolutions, Iraq is allowed to possess long-range artillery, but the export of new weaponry, or weapon-making equipment, to the country is banned. It is not known whether Iraq has actually built any of the long-range guns yet, but if it has they could be used against troops taking part in a US-led invasion.
Heh-heh....... Hey Fairplay, are you still enamored with Germany and her "peaceful" stance vis-a-vis Iraq?!? You sure can pick 'em...
Heh-heh....... Hey Fairplay, are you still enamored with Germany and her "peaceful" stance vis-a-vis Iraq?!? You sure can pick 'em... [/QUOTE] A clever man is not someone who never makes mistakes, because that sort of man does not exist. There is enough compelling evidence that types like Saddam Hussein (and also Papa Doc etc) are there because the US have put them where they are (or rather were in the case of Papa Doc). You can't say that these figures just got out of hand! But a clever man is someone who corrects past mistakes, like the ones made by the Soviet Union and subsequently by the USA in Afghanistan: sorry, have to bother you with some cut and paste here In a significant reminder of its international duties, German peacekeepers in Afghanistan will take over the ISAF security force in Kabul on Feb. 10. German General Riechmann told DW-RADIO about the challenges in store. More here: http://www.dw-world.de/english/0,3367,1432_A_774720_1_A,00.html
When are you just going to admit that you were incredibly naive by swallowing Wild's assertion that Germany was against war solely for altruistic reasons? You are an expert at evading direct questions.
Sorry, I thought that Mr Wild had been removed from the chitchat forums, because he confronted everybody here with evidence which he found elsewhere and which did not help making many people here happy. I always found that the sources which he quoted were very useful and often destroyed assertions made by those who are in favour of war. I do not know where he said that Germany was against the war for altruistic reasons, and if he said so, he may not be completely right. Which country, anyway, can afford to be altruistic when it comes to things like war? The US? Make me laugh! Now help me with my incredible naivety: what was that direct question again?
Altruistic reasons... or non altruistic reasons, who cares? The fact and the matter is three heavy weights of the diplomatic international community are against bombing Iraq. WHY? Because 9/11 will come back even worst and in other countries besides the USA. The USA is going to mess up an already very tight and delicate mess just because they want to see some action. Well, they are going to see some action but truly it's not going to be the kind they expect. This solution of war is a bit like programming a computer without taking care of the Y2K glitch, when you get to the aftermath, the whole thing crashes. You gotta look ahead.
You are a shame less coward....I can only pray that you don't ever have children...you would probably let a criminal rape your wife in front of them instead of pulling the trigger on the criminal.....freedom is never free and if you bury your head in the sand to avoid conflict you will get your ass kicked.....instead of finding fault with your government and quoting all these euro trash leaders, step up to the plate and admit it: You are a whoosy who is afraid there may be a terrorist attack against you...you should just move to another country....but remember this: the terrorist attacked on 9-11 BEFORE ANY OF THE IRAQ PRESSURE....so that's a great theory to live by. ..And if they do attack again, then we'll head to Iran. Libya , France and anywhere else.
Wusses If General Patton were alive today. He would be in a tent SLAPPING YOUR ASS, GET OUT OF THIS PLACE OF HONOR you WUSSIES. War and Trading is not for WUSSIES, afraid of their own Shadow.