'US gave Iraq intelligence aid'

The United States gave Iraq important intelligence assistance during its war against Iran in the late 1980s, even though Washington was aware of Baghdad's plans to deploy chemical weapons against the enemy, a newspaper report claimed yesterday.

Senior officials denied the allegation made in a report published in The New York Times. But if true, it would seem to undermine the moral case presented by the current White House administration to topple the Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein. At worst, it would seem to expose American hypocrisy.

Citing sources that chose to remain anonymous, the newspaper said that about 60 officials with the Defense Intelligence Agency, DIA, were engaged in a covert programme to help Iraq analyse Iran's battle tactics during the 1981-88 conflict. The Ronald Reagan administration made no secret of its wish that Iraq should defeat Iran.

Senior US officer Colonel Rick Francona was reported to have seen evidence of the use of gas by Iraq in its push in early 1988 to retake the Fao peninsula to recover access to the Persian Gulf.

At the same time, senior officials, including the then National Security Adviser, General Colin Powell,were condemning Iraq for resorting to chemical weapons to win victories.

Mr Powell, now serving President George Bush as US Secretary of State, adamantly denied the claims, however.

A spokesman for Mr Powell said that the description of the programme by the officers was "dead wrong". There was no comment from the DIA or from the White House.

The substances used by Iraq in the war were mustard gas, sarin, VX and other poisonous agents. Only on Thursday, in an interview with the BBC, the current National Security advisor, Condoleezza Rice, cited used by Iraq of such weapons as key to Washington's case for displacing Saddam.