Army runs tests on suspect chemicals
John Sullivan and Matt Stearns
Knight Ridder Newspapers (KRT)
NEAR BAIJI, Iraq — Dozens of
Army chemical weapons experts de
scended on a munitions site Sunday
to conduct more tests on barrels of
suspected nerve and blister agents
amid mounting evidence that the
site could be the first confirmed
chemical weapons cache in Iraq.
Further tests should determine in
one to three days whether the bar
rels contain the chemicals needed
for weapons of mass destruction.
Elsewhere, U.S. officials detained
the self-proclaimed mayor of Bagh
dad, issued a proclamation remind
ing Iraqis the military command was
in charge, and scheduled a meeting
for Monday among prospective Iraqi
leaders of an interim government.
All were part of a continuing effort to
ensure that disparate, feuding inter
est groups do not push the war-tom
country into ungovernable chaos.
Spurts of violence continued to
erupt. Four American soldiers were
wounded in Baghdad. With Saddam
Hussein’s birthday Monday, the
threat of more violence was ever
present. In Tikrit, Saddam’s home
town, U.S. soldiers killed one per
son while attempting to disperse a
pro-Saddam demonstration of
about 50 people.
Also on Sunday, U.S. military offi
cials said that coalition forces cap
tured another of Iraq’s most-wanted
men: General Hussam Mohammad
Amin, the regime’s National Moni
toring Director, responsible for keep
ing track of Iraq’s arms.
Amin was a key figure in Iraq’s ne
gotiations with United Nations
weapons inspectors, and repeatedly
said Iraq did not have weapons of
mass destruction.
Much U.S. focus remained on the
suspected chemical weapons site
first found Friday after a tip from a
local villager. Suspicions that previ
ous sites harbored the illicit
weapons were proved unfounded,
but Army officials at the site near
Baiji said the initial inspections
and tests were promising.
Samples from two of the 14 bar
rels at the site were taken Sunday
and sent to labs in Iraq, Germany
and Maryland to undergo more con
clusive testing. It should take just a
few days to determine whether the
samples are chemical weapons, or
simply pesticides or rocket fuel,
Army officials at the site said.
The samples were sent to three
different sites for testing to meet the
required international standard for
proof of chemical weapons in inter
national courts, said Lt. Col.
Valentin Novikov.
The Bush Administration used the
specter of weapons of mass destruc
tion to justify the Iraqi invasion. Now
that the military victory has been
won, the administration is under in
creasing international pressure to
prove that Iraq had such weapons.
Besides the barrels, the Army
found mobile laboratories and a
large yellow warehouse containing
hundreds of gas masks and 36 par
tially assembled SA-2 rockets capa
ble of delivering chemical agents.
Meanwhile, U.S. operatives in Bagh
dad moved to prevent what had been
a somewhat surreal sideshow from be
coming a serious threat to the coali
tion’s attempts to bring stability to
Iraq with the arrest of Mohammed
Mohsen al-Zubaidi on Sunday.
Al-Zubaidi had proclaimed him
self “Mayor of Baghdad,” saying that
about 300 community leaders
elected him the head of the city
nearly two weeks ago. He quickly
formed an administration, naming
a deputy mayor and traveling with
a retinue of aides. At his headquar
ters in the Palestine Hotel, he held
meetings throughout the day with
businessmen. He also tried to con
vince the reformed police force that
they should report to him, not to
coalition forces, and told Iraqis not
to go back to work at water, power,
sewage and bank facilities unless he
approved it.
The U.S. was quick to dismiss his
legitimacy, saying only coalition
members were administrating the
country. Officials often said the
“mayor” was running the city “as
much as Saddam Hussein is.”
But Al-Zubaidi was apparently be
coming enough of a distraction that
U.S. officials decided to take action
against him Sunday. They invited
the unsuspecting putative potentate
to a meeting at the Sheraton Hotel,
but said that he should not bring any
guards. There, al-Zubaidi was escort
ed out of the hotel around 5 p.m.,
and left in a civilian car.
© 2003, Knight Ridder/Tribune
Information Services. Sullivan reported
from Baiji. Stearns reported from
Washington. Knight Ridder Newspapers
correspondents Andrea Gerlin and
Nancy Youssef, both in Baghdad,
contributed to this report
Congress returns to
James Kuhnhenn
Knight Ridder Newspapers (KRT)
WASHINGTON — Congress re
turns to work this week under
pressure from President Bush to
pass a tax cut that even a handful
of senators from his own party
won’t support.
After a two-week Easter recess,
lawmakers will find a new environ
ment in Washington and a president
less preoccupied with Iraq and
more focused on pushing his eco
nomic agenda.
Once marginalized by the war,
Congress will now be back on cen
ter stage as tax writers in the House
and Senate draft legislation for at
least (8350 billion in tax cuts over
the next 10 years.
But Republicans, who control
both the House and the Senate, will
have a hard time finding common
ground on the tax cut by Memorial
Day, their goal for sending a tax cut
ting bill to the president.
Bush is calling for at least $550
billion in tax outs. Conservative Re
publicans want more. But Sen.
Charles Grassley of Iowa, the Re
publican chairman of the tax-writ
ing Finance Committee in the Sen
ate, has vowed to limit the cut to no
more than #350 billion in order to
secure support from two renegade
Republicans — Olympia Snowe of
Maine and George Voinovich of
Ohio.
That deal, cut on April 11 with
the blessing of Senate Majority
Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee, in
furiated conservatives and House
Republican leaders, who accused
Frist and Grassley of betrayal.
Frist was forced to apologize for
mishandling the deal, and said he
would work to increase the size of
the tax cut package.
On CBS’ “Face the Nation” Sun
day, Republican Sen. Lindsey Gra
ham of South Carolina, a cheer
leader for larger tax cuts, hinted he
would vote against a tax cut of #350
billion because it was too small.
“I want a tax cut with a purpose,”
Graham said. “Now’s the time to put
money back into the economy with
a purpose, and that’s to create jobs.
Grassley, speaking on Fox News
Sunday, said he would stick to his
promise unless Bush can convince
Snowe and Voinovich to accept a
larger tax cut. He said the final tax
cut number could grow to about
$425 billion by eliminating corpo
rate tax loopholes and using that
offsetting revenue for more individ
ual tax cuts.
Bush’s plan would accelerate re
ductions in income tax rates that
Congress approved in 2001 but
were not scheduled to take effect
until 2006. It also would increase
tax credits for parents, ease the so
called marriage penalty for couples
and assist small businesses. It’s
biggest element, however, is phasing
out the tax individuals pay on cor
porate dividends.
Democrats say the dividend tax
cut will benefit the wealthy and a
few Republicans say the tax cuts are
too big and will increase federal
budget deficits.
Last week, Bush visited Ohio,
Voinovich’s home state, to apply di
rect pressure. Voinovieh showed he
could stand the heat, though, and
said he remains convinced that a
larger cut would create bigger,
harmful budget deficits.
On Sunday in NBC’s “Meet the
Press” show, Voinovieh described
the $350 billion in tax cuts as “a
good package” and Bush’s proposal
as “fiscally irresponsible” given the
higher spending produced by re
building Iraq.
In addition to Voinovieh and
Snowe, Republican Sens. John Mc
Cain of Arizona and Lincoln
Chafee of Rhode Island have said
they will oppose any tax cut. To
get the votes, Bush may have to
turn to moderate Democrats such
as Bill Nelson of Nebraska and
consummate dealmaker John
Breaux of Louisiana.
© 2003, Knight Ridder/Tribune
Information Services.
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News brief
Tacoma police chief
shoots wife, self
SEATTLE — Tacoma Police Chief
David Brame died Saturday after he
shot his 35-year-old estranged wife
aild Himself in a strip-mall parking
lot in Gig Harbor, Wash.
Brame, 44, was taken to St.
Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma
where he died shortly before 6
p.m. Saturday.
His wife, Crystal, was flown to
Harborview Medical Center in Seat
tle where she was in extremely crit
ical condition Saturday night with a
bullet wound in the head.
Brame and his wife were in the
parking lot to exchange the chil
dren. The couple had been going
through a contentious divorce,
with allegations of abuse from
both sides. After putting the chil
dren in his car, Brame returned
to his wife’s car, got in the pas
senger seat, then fired his gun
twice.
Brame was found in the passen
ger seat with a fatal head wound.
His wife had climbed out of
the car before collapsing on the
pavement.
— Seattle Times Staff,
The Seattle Times (KRT)
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