Volume 1 - Iraq Watch

ported to be the Iraqi General Company for Water andSewage.• Its stated research areas were the breeding of animalssuch as cows and sheep and certain types ofcrops.Possible Violations of UN Sanctions by IndianCompanies1999—NEC Company Assists Iraq in the Purchaseof Chemical Equipment and PrecursorsReportedly, the Indian company NEC and the Iraqicompany Al-Basha’ir combined resources in 1999 toset up a front company called Technology TradingS.A. (TTSA). TTSA appeared to conduct researchon herbicides, pesticides and other agriculturerelatedissues. Baghdad could have directed TTSAto research and development of chemical dual-useprograms for the Iraqi government.• Iraq used TTSA and NEC to purchase chemicallaboratory equipment and precursors from India.• These items were shipped by land via the Syrianand Jordanian borders using false cargo manifestsand bribes to preclude customs inspections.Biological Dual-Use Related ProcurementPossible Breaches of UN Sanctions by AustrianCompanies2001—Negotiations To Procure AutoclavesAGMEST and the Al Rafad Scientific Bureau forPromoting Drugs and Medical Appliances, bothlocated in Baghdad, negotiated a contract for the IraqiMinistry of Health for autoclaves from an Austrianfirm in early 2001.• Two of the autoclaves were reportedly intended forthe Vaccine and Serum Institute in Baghdad, a probablereference to the Amiriyah Serum and VaccineInstitute (ASVI).• In July 2002, Sabah N.M. Ali of AGMEST inBaghdad, Iraq, Firas Kadhum of the Iraqi Al RafahScientific Bureau for Promoting Drugs and MedicalAppliances, and an official from a Jordanian firmnegotiated a contract for autoclaves, sterilizers, andvacuum pumps from the Austrian company with theend user being SDI.Sales of Biomedical Equipment Technology andServices by Swiss Companies1995—Purchase of Reagents by an Iraqi FrontCompanyReportedly, an Iraqi front company called Al-Emanpurchased a kit of reagents worth $5,000 from theSwiss firm Elisa on behalf of an organization namedEl Ibaa in 1995. El Ibaa was a special unit in the IraqiMoA.• El Ibaa was directly connected with Saddam, hada special research facility, and was granted an“unlimited” budget.Possible Breaches of UN Sanctions by GermanCompanies2001—Attempts To Acquire Biotechnology andBiological Weapons-Related Technology andExpertiseThe Amman, Jordan office of the Iraqi front companyWinter International forwarded offers for dual-uselaboratory equipment from a German firm to theWinter International office in Baghdad, in March2001. The end-user of this equipment was purportedto be the Iraqi MoI. The equipment offered included:262