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Letter to the Editor:  Selective approach to Iraqi war crimes

Michael Roston

The Guardian

December 24, 2003

Bringing the appropriate parties to justice in Iraq is important, but Kate Allen's call for a blanket rejection of amnesties of Iraqi weapons scientists (Now is the time for justice, G2, December 16) could have the unintended consequence of contributing to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction expertise.

As part of the process of identifying and accounting for those involved in Saddam's WMD programmes, it is important that these efforts distinguish between those with blood on their hands, such as those in the military, the internal security services, or the Ba'ath party structure who exercised control over WMD, and those Iraqi scientists and engineers who worked (often under duress) on technical issues associated with the weapons, and who had little or no authority in the decision-making.

The US state department is currently laying the groundwork for programmes to locate and re-employ Iraqi WMD specialists in alternative, peaceful work. Many of the scientists and personnel with critical knowledge of Saddam's WMD establishment and expertise in building weapons have not stepped forward to be counted, for fear of punishment. To send the signal now, as Allen suggests, that many Iraqi weapons scientists and engineers could be tried for war crimes would hinder the implementation of these efforts, by forcing many Iraqis with sensitive knowledge skills to run for cover in nearby states with WMD programmes of their own.

A more nuanced policy, that does not group sensitive technical experts with the more nefarious elements, would be an important signal to Iraqis that they do not need to consider fleeing, and may encourage some scientists already hiding abroad to return to their country.