facts and fiction (IAEA - Iraq)

["Franz Schoenhofer" <franz.schoenhofer@CHELLO.AT>]

    -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----

    Von: owner-radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu

[mailto:owner-radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu]Im Auftrag von Charly Frey

    Gesendet: Donnerstag, 15. April 2004 19:41

    An: radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu

    Betreff: any info about htis from Europe





    Iraqi Nuclear Gear Found in Europe Large amounts of nuclear-related

equipment, some of it contaminated, and a small number of missile engines

have been smuggled out of Iraq for recycling in European scrap yards,

according to the head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog and other U.N.

diplomats



    --------------------------------------------------------





    After the outcries about my negative comments seem to have fallen silent

I "dare" to comment on it again:



    The IAEA has issued a document under the header "In Focus: IAEA and

Iraq", Consolidated progress report to security council on IAEA verification

activities in Iraq pursuant to resolution 687 and other related resolutions.

This report does not contain the word "Europe", it claims that certain

buildings which might have been used for weapons development have been

erased (wasn't that the wish of the USA?) and it claims that equipment has

been scrapped - another wish of the USA.



    This report does not contain any claim, that any contaminated scrap has

been found in Europe. Any such claims seem to be due to news distributed by

news agencies last December (?) or January, that contaminated scrap has been

found in a port of The Netherlands. There were rumors about two pounds (The

Netherlands have the metric system, so they would have reported one kg) of a

uranium compound, some papers made it "yellow cake". No information was

distributed whether it was enriched or not and if yes, to what

concentration. The scrap in question was imported from Jordan and rumors

said, that it was originating from Iraq. This was never confirmed. After the

first sensational messages I have never heard anything about this subject

again. Why did USA-newspaper put the rumors (no facts!) up again?



    Thinking of my large collection of beautiful vaseline glass (uranium

containing) and a few "Fiesta ware" plates, which contain all naturally

occurring (fissionable) uranium, not to talk about uranium and thorium

containing ores which I collected myself in the South-West I hope that I

will not one day experience a secret service action on my collection.....



    From these considerations I take the liberty to warn all RADSAFErs, to

accept any hearsay as fact. Newspaper comments are almost always based on

hearsay and not on facts, which I hope I have demonstrated in explaining the

obviously wrong messages. Those messages are used routineously to shift

people opinion to the side the government wants it to be. If somebody in the

USA is not able to recognize, what kind of influence is intended by such

messages I cannot help him or her.



    Best regards,



    Franz