Ochi reason number one...

[kandrathe]

Sorry, but did you even read my previous posts and the links I have provided (for example U.S. Exports of Biological Materials to Iraq)? It is not a question of what was shipped (we at least know of the biological samples) but of which further help was given.

You make my point. You have only presented speculation on any help providedby the US, while I have presented evidence that Japan, Denmark, the former Yugoslavia, Germany and Switzerland have provided substantial help.

After reading a lot of them (of course you have to correctly weigh the source for credibility and independence (and there will be the difference between us)) I came to my opinion. Can you say the same?

Yes. I guess the difference is in how you weigh a source for credibility. For instance, your link the the 1994 senate committee meeting, their purpose was only ever to determine if it was possible that coalition troops may have been exposed to chemical or biological agents. It was only ever a partial exploration by a very politically motivated committee. As I said before, we can agree that the US company ATCC, as well as the French Pastuer Institute may have shipped Iraq biological samples; it is discussed in this NY times article, Eyeballing ATCC - Iraq Links Germs for Weapons to U.S. and France . What I see in that NYTimes article is that our relationship with Iraq was different in the mid 1980's and that all exports were not as well scrutinized. The persons who ordered the biological samples had clearly stated their purpose was for medical research. I ignore Cryptome's speculations, as they seem to think that having a vial of some virulent pathogen is equivalent to have a biological weapon.

You can attack the University of California, Sam Nunn, and even Ted Turner if you like for providing the funding to independant (NGO) organizations devoted to nonproliferation studies. People can have opinions, that is true, and so you are saying that nothing can be trusted, and no one is independant. However, I found their content to be well written and well referenced.