[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 167 (Tuesday, November 18, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H11364]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AL QAEDA AND IRAQ

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of 
January 7, 2003, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Stearns) is recognized 
during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, with each passing day, the President's 
critics become more emboldened in their attacks on what they decry as a 
misleading impetus to go to war. According to the information they are 
able to ascertain from 24-hour news channels and the New York Times, 
they continue to condemn the President's claim that Saddam Hussein had 
links to al Qaeda.
  We have all heard their diatribes accusing the President of invading 
Iraq with little or no evidence that Saddam Hussein worked along Osama 
bin Laden. I recommend the recent article in the Weekly Standard's 
current issue that details the memo written in response to the 
administration's prewar intelligence. It is clear evidence of the nexus 
of terrorism with terrorist-sponsoring states that many antiwar 
advocates deny exists at all.
  According to this memo, dated October 27, 2003, bin Laden and Saddam 
Hussein had an operational relationship from the early 1990s to 2003 
that involved training in explosives, weapons of mass destruction, 
logistical support for terrorist attacks, al Qaeda training camps, safe 
haven in Iraq, and Iraq financial support for al Qaeda.
  Mr. Speaker, the findings put forth in the memo come from a variety 
of domestic and foreign agencies including the FBI, the Defense 
Intelligence Agency, the CIA, and the National Security Agency. Much of 
the evidence is detailed, conclusive, and corroborated by multiple 
sources.
  Some of it is new information obtained in interviews with high-level 
Al Qaeda terrorists and Iraqi officials and some reaches back a decade. 
Not surprisingly, the picture that emerges is one of long-standing 
collaboration between two of America's most grave enemies. According to 
the memo which lays out the intelligence in 50 numbered points, Iraq-al 
Qaeda contacts began in 1990 and continued through mid-March 2003, days 
before the Iraq war began. So in effect, Mr. Speaker, this information 
has been accumulated over three administrations.
  The relationship began shortly before the first Gulf War. According 
to the memo, bin Laden sent emissaries to Jordan in 1990 to meet with 
Iraqi government officials. At some unspecified point in 1991, 
according to CIA analysis, Iraq sought Saddam's assistance to establish 
links to al Qaeda. Both parties were equally interested in developing 
that relationship and according to the CIA reporting memo, bin Laden 
wanted to expand his organization's abilities through ties in Iraq.
  The cumulative weight of the intelligence is compelling. Even The 
Washington Post recommends that its readers examine the evidence and 
decide for themselves. The notion that the pragmatic Saddam Hussein, 
who had grown closer and closer to extreme terrorists in the 1990s, 
would avoid any contact with al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden is not a 
reasonable conclusion to draw. The alliance is a natural one. With al 
Qaeda now claiming responsibility for the recent attacks on synagogues 
in Turkey, we are reminded of our duty to respond.
  Were the President to have completely ignored this information, the 
world would have to face potentially horrifying consequences. Yet 
today's critics seem eager to claim even after 9/11 the administration 
should only have acted against Saddam if it has proven beyond any 
reasonable doubt that he, Saddam, was in league with al Qaeda.
  Hopefully, this report provides the evidence that is needed to make 
this link. This information is reaffirming our need to topple Saddam. 
After so many years of complacency, weakness, and denial, the President 
made the decision to oust Saddam. He took the action, the action that 
was vital to protect our country.

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