Headlines From The Past

• Why Was Flight BA 149 Allowed to Land in Kuwait on the Day of the Invasion? A Special Investigation
• Although this piece is from 2003, it is worth another look. Stephen Davis launched his own investigation to find out how BA 149 was allowed to land in Kuwait, when the Iraqi invasion was already underway. 385 passengers and crew were on board the BA 149 flight, and were later taken captive by Iraq. Davis talked to several sources and stated that the flight was allowed to land because there were 10-12 special agents on board. These agents boarded the plane late in Heathrow, and were never seen once the plane landed in Kuwait. Davis stated that the agents' mission was to set-up an intelligence network as the invasion was occuring. This claim is supported by sources in the Kuwaiti resistance who said that western commandos had arrived on the first day of the invasion. Further, Davis points to the possibility of British military personnel being present at the control tower at Kuwait airport, and insisting that the flight be allowed to land. The flight was more than an hour away from landing in Kuwait when the invasion started, which raises many questions about why it was allowed to land, and not diverted. A very interesting piece of work. New Statesman
  
• Did the US OK the Iraqi Invasion? A Transcript of US Ambassador's Meeting with Saddam
• Many people around the world speculated about the role of the United States in the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait of 1990. The focus was manily on a meeting between US Ambassador to Iraq April Glaspie and Saddam held on the 25th of July, 1990. The New York Times obtained a transcript of the meeting from Iraqi sources, which the US State Department have constantly declined to comment on its accuracy. The transcript shows that the US clearly understood that Iraq was about to launch a military attack on Kuwait, yet there is speculation about the magnitude of that attack. Following are some quotes from the transcript (New York Times International):
  
• The Ambasssador told Saddam that "we(US) have no opinion on the Arab-Arab conflicts, like your border disagreement with Kuwait. I was in the American Embassy in Kuwait during the late 60's. The instruction we had during this period was that we should express no opinion on this issue and that the issue is not associated with America." (Saddam smiles)
  
• Saddam said, "assure the Kuwaitis and give them our word that we are not going to do anything until we meet with them. When we meet and when we see that there is hope, then nothing will happen. But if we are unable to find a solution, then it will be natural that Iraq will not accept death" signalling clearly that a military action was in the works.