Sanctions? What Sanctions?

Although it's a practice banned worldwide for a dozen years, nonetheless, a French company has been selling spare parts to Iraq for its fighter jets and military helicopters over the past several months, according to US intelligence officials.

Here's how American intelligence says it worked: The unidentified company sold the parts to a trading company in the United Arab Emirates, which then trucked the parts through a third country into Iraq. The spare parts included goods for Iraq’s French-made Mirage F-1 jets and Gazelle attack helicopters.

One intelligence official said the illegal spare-parts pipeline was discovered within the past two weeks. The official said sensitive intelligence about the transfers indicates that the parts were smuggled to Iraq as recently as January.

Apparently Not The First Time

Other intelligence reports indicate that Iraq had succeeded in acquiring French weaponry illegally for years, the official said.

The parts appear to be included in an effort by the Iraqi military to build up materiel for its air forces before any American military action, which could occur before the end of the month.

The officials identified the purchaser of the parts as the Al Tamoor Trading Co., based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. A spokesman for the company could not be reached for comment.

The Washington Times reports the French military parts were then sent by truck into Iraq from a neighboring country the officials declined to identify. Iraq has more than 50 Mirage F-1 jets and an unknown number of Gazelle attack helicopters, according to the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Is This Why France Is So Adament?

An administration official intimated the parts transfers to Iraq may be one reason France has so vehemently opposed US plans for military action against Iraq. “No wonder the French are opposing us,” this official said.

The official, however, said intelligence reports of the parts sale did not indicate that the activity was sanctioned by the French government or that Paris knows about the transfers.

Nathalie Loiseau, press counselor at the French Embassy, Told the Washington Times her government has no information about the spare-parts smuggling and has not been approached by the US government about the matter. “We fully comply with the UN sanctions, and there is no sale of any kind of military material or weapons to Iraq,” she said. A CIA spokesman had no comment.

A senior administration official declined to discuss Iraq’s purchase of French warplane and helicopter parts. “It is well known that the Iraqis use front companies to try to obtain a number of prohibited items,” the official said.

FMI: www.cia.gov/cia/publications/bian/bian_jan_2002.htm