ASA had requested Dr. Gabriele Kraatz-Wadsack to provide this mini-review of Iraq's capabilities and known BW program. Lest we forget and whether there is war or not, we must all be reminded what is there and what Saddam's capabilities are. We must face realities. Dr. Kraatz-Wadsack is the former head of UNSCOM's BW inspection program. She was later with UNMOVIC and is now with the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin. Dr. Kraatz-Wadsack's response to ASA's request follows:

Iraq's BW programme
Gabriele Kraatz-Wadsack

          Berlin, 21 August 2002. In 1991, when Iraq made its declarations, it denied any offensive BW programme. It was only in late August 1995 that Iraq acknowledged BW weaponization. Iraq subsequently stated that it unilaterally destroyed its filled weapons and bulk agents in contravention of the obligations that Iraq's weapons stocks be destroyed under international supervision. Some sampling and analysis at destruction sites and remnants do not support Iraq's account of filling, deployment and destruction of munitions and weapons. Iraq's statement that the BW programme was 'obliterated' in 1991 is contradicted by later evidence of the retention of suitable growth media, BW facilities, production equipment, teams of expert personnel as an intact entity, and the essential technical knowledge.
          Iraq had produced and weaponized Anthrax, Botulinum Toxin and Aflatoxin. In addition, Iraq had produced gas gangrene causing bacteria, Ricin, a plant derived toxin and wheat cover smut. Further, Iraq had investigated viruses, which were camelpox, rotavirus and enterovirus.
          Iraq had started its BW programme in the early seventies according to its own declaration. The BW programme developed further as a top industrial priority programme on a large scale. The programme expanded over the years from pilot scale to production scale and to weaponization.
          International expert panels concluded on four separate occasions that Iraq's disclosure about its BW programme does not provide a comprehensive account and the information collected during inspections and interviews contradicts Iraq's disclosures on weaponization, the quantity of agents produced and the material balance.
          Iraq continues to possess the knowledge, the facilities and the capabilities for production of biological warfare agents on a large scale.

Editor's Note: Dr. Gabriele Kraatz-Wadsack returned to the German MOD from UNMOVIC this past October. She was assigned to the Robert Koch Institute to assist them in rapidly setting up a bio response unit, which actually was in use within days of her arrival because of the heightened Anthrax awareness. As a recognized authority on Iraq's known programs and on Iraq's capabilities, she is in constant demand not only throughout Germany but also throughout Europe where she has been a guest on most of the TV and radio nets as well as meetings with concerned government and civilian authorities. Gabriele is also a member of the CBMTS and the CBMTS Executive Committee and was the Chair of the Biological program for CBMTS IV in Spiez, Switzerland in April.
          ASA also discussed with Dr. Kraatz-Wadsack the recent von Sponeck visit to Iraq.
          Hans von Sponeck was visiting the Foot and Mouth Vaccine Production facility at Daura and he was obviously lied to about the real purpose from the past; it had been documented as a BW warfare agent production facility.
          At Fallujah III, he was told by the Iraqi Chief Chemical Weapon expert (introduced by Iraq as their chief chemist) that any CW agent could be easily detected real-time by detection devices. He was standing in front of the castor bean processing plant, where a by-product would be the highly toxic ricin. This, however would not be detectable by any real-time detection device.
          At Karama, a missile production facility, Mr. von Sponeck mentioned for the first time that he was no expert and could not judge from the computer simulation model if that missile (Al Samoud) would fly 150 km or more.The only time he mentioned that he was no expert was at Karama (missiles seem to be more complicated to judge then the so-called pesticide production or vaccines production).
           Let there be no doubt that Saddam has been and is now producing biological agent and is weaponizing to some degree. If you can live with that - it is your choice. However, to believe anything less is to be intellectually inadequate - at best.