Singapore assistance to Iraq in the Iran-Iraq war

Singapore is a powerful commercial hub with weak export control, which was also a transshipment point for the flow of weapons sent to Iraq , including chemical ones , and the site of its own licensed production of weapons for foreign design developments.

Content

Mine Production

One of the most striking phenomena of the Iran-Iraq war was the units of Iranian volunteers who fled through minefields to clear them and sacrificing their own lives. The Gulf War has become one of the grounds for direct US military intervention on the side of Iraq. It would be appropriate to know the sources of origin of these mines.

Italian Mine Technology

During the war, Italy exported sea and land mines to both warring countries. Its mine industry is represented by three small companies: Valsella , Misar and Tecnovar . The latter two are founded by former Valsella workers. All three specialize in the production of landmines and their components and are engaged in the direct export of their goods, as well as licensing their production abroad. The lion's share of their income is export, due to successful banking and export control, and public support for military development ^[1] .

Given the importance of minefields, sometimes only through Iranian courage, the value of mines could not be underestimated. However, after the Italian government tightened export controls, production had to be moved to Singapore.

Transfer of Italian production to Singapore

With the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq war in September 1980, Valsella began to receive government permits for export shipments to Iraq. A total of eight licenses were issued, the latter was issued in 1982 and expired in January 1984 . Estimated total supply value exceeds 110 million US dollars. However, further political pressure led to an increase in export restrictions to Iraq. To circumvent these restrictions, in 1982 the company opened a new branch in Singapore, where mines from Vallsella components and fuses from the Swedish company Bofors were collected for subsequent shipment to Iraq. These deliveries lasted until 1986 .

In 1984, Fiat Corporation gradually gained control of Valsella and Mizar . By this time, Valsella had concentrated its research and development on increasingly sophisticated land mines (such as mines with an electronic fuse, mines with remote activation via a coded radio signal), while Misar focused on the development of sea mines , although not to the detriment of the production of land mines systems.

Chemical weapons supplies

In December 2002, the Iraqi arms declaration, with 1,200 pages, opened a list of eastern and western states and corporations, as well as individuals who exported biological and chemical materials to Iraq over the past two decades. From the declaration it follows that the largest suppliers of precursors for the production of chemical weapons were in Singapore (4515 tons) ^[2] . A Singaporean company, a certain Kim Al-Halea, delivered to Iraq more than 4,500 tons of VX and sarin combat gases, a mustard precursor, and also production equipment ^[2] .

The head of the UN inspection commission, Hans Blix, came to the same conclusions in his report to the UN Security Council dated January 27, 2002, based on the results of an arms control inspection in Iraq ^[3] . Kennett Timmerman, an American journalist and researcher, noted: “Blix’s latest report to the United Nations recorded numerous unsuccessful attempts to convict Iraq of concealing prohibited weapons. The Iraqi documents for the first time laid bare a global supply chain, backed by high-level support from governments and major banks in Europe , Asia and the Middle East . The range of suppliers ranged from huge international corporations, such as Hoechst AG from Germany, to little-known legal entities such as the Iraqi company called Kim Al-Haley from Singapore, who supplied over 4,500 tons of VX, sarin, mustard gas precursors , and manufacturing equipment. " ^[4] .

Iraqi documents also cite a number of different companies from third countries that acted as buyers for Iraq. For example, India supplied precursors for chemical warfare agents to Iraq (and, as it turned out later, the same materials in the same quantities to Iran), thanks to a Baghdad intermediary, a native of Iraq with a German passport, who founded an enterprise in Singapore exclusively for this purpose ^[5] .

Notes

↑ Italy . Production and Transfer . Land Mine Monitor (1999). Date of treatment October 11, 2010. Archived April 24, 2012.
↑ ¹ ² Terry Bryant. History's Greatest War . - Global Media, 2007. - ISBN 8-189-94063-5 .
↑ Mitch Frank. The Inspections So Far: The Blix Scorecard . Time (February 2, 2003). Date of treatment October 11, 2010. Archived April 24, 2012.
↑ Kenneth Timmerman. Eurobiz is caught arming Saddam; the strident opposition in some European capitals to US military action against Saddam Hussein may have roots in some bottom-line corporate considerations . Insight on the News (February 18, 2003). Date of treatment October 11, 2010.
↑ Marc Erikson. Germany's leading role in arming Iraq . Asia Times (February 5, 2003). Date of treatment October 11, 2010. Archived April 24, 2012.

[1] Italy . Production and Transfer . Land Mine Monitor (1999). Date of treatment October 11, 2010. Archived April 24, 2012.

[Bryant-2] ¹ ² Terry Bryant. History's Greatest War . - Global Media, 2007. - ISBN 8-189-94063-5 .

[3] Mitch Frank. The Inspections So Far: The Blix Scorecard . Time (February 2, 2003). Date of treatment October 11, 2010. Archived April 24, 2012.

[4] Kenneth Timmerman. Eurobiz is caught arming Saddam; the strident opposition in some European capitals to US military action against Saddam Hussein may have roots in some bottom-line corporate considerations . Insight on the News (February 18, 2003). Date of treatment October 11, 2010.

[5] Marc Erikson. Germany's leading role in arming Iraq . Asia Times (February 5, 2003). Date of treatment October 11, 2010. Archived April 24, 2012.