The truth about "Curveball" (so they say)

[Skybird]

Unfortunately, this again is one of those German articles that are very unlikely to ever see a translated version (only german newspaper running a dedicated international edition, is Der Spiegel, but this eassay here is by Die Welt).

http://www.welt.de/politik/specials/...ausloeste.html

Curveball is the codename for an Iraqi man who was questioned in the late 90s and early 00s by the German BND, regarding alleged biological weapon production and WMD in Iraq. The German intelligence service never put too much trust into him, and explicitly warned of using his claims - many of which were lies - as solid information, sionce they were completely unconfirmed by other sources. This was also told to the Americans who after 9/11 showed a sudden interest in Curveball's stories and raised intense pressure on Germany to behave extremely unusual, to put it mildly, by agreeing to show Curveball on TV and the government then should swear that it strictly believes Curveball and that he is absoutely confirmed and trustworthy. It is unusual, says the eassay, that a Western nation demands another nation to reveal its sources in public and even to compromise them in a show act that obviously was meant to put all responsibility on the Germans while at the same time Cuveball's fairy tales about mobile biolabs and claimed lethal accidents in bioweapon factories should be used to create "facts" for the american media market, to convince the public of the need of war.

Since then, and since the debacle that the Iraq adventure was has become obvious, America tries to blame the Germans for having suported a misled war and that the German even helped to rigger it, while at the same time they were dilletantic and incompetent to run their secret service. And this although insiders saw the German BND since the 60s to up the 00s as one of the best-connected and best-positioned Western human-intelligence-services in the Arab sphere, with better connections and sources than most other.

Ex-chief of the BND August Hanning now broke his silence and for the first time ever has told how events unfolded from his and the BNDs point of view. He also explcitly supports the claim that the German politicians of that time - in conformity whith what is known in historic records - have made again and again: it was not, like the US now claim since some years, that the BND has misled the CIA and put them on the road to wear, at least supported that developement, but in fact it was like I have said all the years: indeed the Germans have explicitly warned of going to war againmst Iraq, and the BND has warned the Amerians explicitly and repatedly that Curveball'S is not trustworthy, that his information remained to be unverified, and that they have been unable to confirm his stories.

It'S just that the CIA and the state department did not wish to hear that. And so it happened that Colin Powell held that famous pathtitc speech in which he held up a vial of "Anthrax" and showed pics of mobile weapon labs - becasue the CIA poicked from Curveball'S lies what it wanted to hear, and delioberately ignored all German warnings over Curevball. the mission was not to act on the basis of facts. The mission was to convince the oublic - also in europe - of the need to go to war. And no lie helping in that was cheap enough as that it would not have been tried out.

Hannig says, that on the day the Americans asked out of the blue what the BND had in material over claimed ties between Al Quaeda and Saddam - none, since such ties are a conspiration theory until today - , he knew immediately they were attempting to construct excuses for a war against Iraq.

One and a half year later, it then took place. What remains from the story by the end of the day? The American claim that the Germans supported both in intel work and diplomacy America'S ride towards war, is just this: an unfounded claim. Poltiicians had spoken out very clearly against the war, and warned of it time and again. The BND had told the CIA and the state departement that they should not listen to Curvebll, and that Curveball for the BNND was nothing more than just some more crnaklin g in the backgroudn sdtatic noise, and that his claims remain to be unverified, unconfirmed, and untrustworthy. But at that time, America was far beyond listening to anyone. and so the war unfolded - with all predicted risks and warnings realising.

Curveball lives under a new name in Germany today, living with his wife and two kids on social wellfare. He admits that he lied back then. But he said he never imagined and never was hoping to explicitly help launching a war. All he wanted was to help damaging the regime.