TIDES Iraq Reconstruction Report

No. 44, 14 December 2003

Original Sender	FBIS@fbis.org
Original Date	2003-12-12 00:00:00
Original Subject	Iraq: Party Leader Says Foreign Parties Seeking to Liquidate Iraqi Scientists

Doha: Al-Jazirah Satellite Channel Television in Arabic 0500 GMT 12 Dec 03 [Announcer-read report over video]

Dr. Abd-al-Muhsin Shalash, head of the Free Iraqi Society Party, has denounced what he termed the secret liquidation of Iraqi scientists, who assumed certain scientific posts under the former regime. He said these scientists are a fortune for Iraq that must be preserved.

In statements to Al-Jazirah TV, Shalash said that foreign intelligence agencies are behind the liquidation of scientists.

[Begin Shalash recording] There are covert operations to liquidate the Iraqi elite who lived under the former regime. This is a group of good and kind elite people whose hands were not stained by the blood of innocent Iraqis. These Iraqi scientists are a fortune for Iraq and should be considered one of Iraq's treasures. We must respect them and we must embrace them and win them to the side of the honorable Iraqis, instead of forcing them to flee Iraq or killing them. We know of foreign schemes, which are hostile to the Arab nation, by some foreign intelligence agencies to liquidate these scientists. We denounce the political assassinations and terrorism. [end recording]