Mike Burleson: Is Germany Selling Weapons to Iraq?

For the past few months the German media has been reporting secret shipments between Sadaam Hussein and German industries. Now it seems official and the mainstream press has been strangely silent.

The left wing paper Tageszeitung is saying that the 12,000 page dossier which the Iraqi's presented to UN inspectors contains evidence potentially damaging to Germany. According to the paper, eighty companies within the country have had shady dealings with Iraq.

If true, Germany could be Sadaam's leading supplier of weapons. It is well known that since 1975 Iraq had extensive industrial ties with Berlin, including help in building up their armed forces.

As early as 1999, according to the paper, German officials had been notified of arms shipments, but chose to turn a blind eye.

In a comment, the radio station Deutsche Welle says the news could be damaging to German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, known as a pacifist. Schröder has taken a bitter stand against any military action against Iraq. This revelation could shed new light on the Chancellor's motives.