The target is an intelligence dossier released on Monday
and heralded by none other than Colin Powell at the UN
yesterday.
Channel Four News has
learnt that the bulk of the nineteen page document was copied
from three different articles - one written by a graduate
student.
On Monday, the day before the US
Secretary of State, Colin Powell addressed the UN, Downing
Street published its latest paper on Iraq.
It
gives the impression of being an up to the minute
intelligence-based analysis - and Mr Powell was fulsome in his
praise.
Published on the Number 10 web site,
called "Iraq - Its Infrastructure of Concealment Deception and
Intimidation", it outlines the structure of Saddam's
intelligence organisations.
But it made
familiar reading to Cambridge academic Glen Rangwala. It was
copied from an article last September in a small journal: the
Middle East Review of International Affairs.
It's author, Ibrahim al-Marashi, a
postgraduate student from Monterey in California. Large
sections do indeed appear, verbatim.
A
section, for example, six paragraphs long, on Saddam's Special
Security Organisation, the exact same words are in the
Californian student's paper.
In several places
Downing Street edits the originals to make more sinister
reading.
Number 10 says the Mukhabarat - the
main intelligence agency - is "spying on foreign embassies in
Iraq".
The original reads: "monitoring foreign
embassies in Iraq."
And the
provocative role of "supporting terrorist organisations in
hostile regimes" has a weaker, political context in the
original: "aiding opposition groups in hostile regimes."
Even typographic mistakes in the original
articles are repeated.
Of military
intelligence, al-Marashi writes in his original paper:
"The head of military intelligence generally
did not have to be a relative of Saddam's immediate family,
nor a Tikriti. Saddam appointed, Sabir Abd Al-Aziz Al-Duri as
head..." Note the comma after appointed.
Downing Street paraphrases the first
sentence: "Saddam appointed, Sabir 'Abd al-'Aziz al-Duri as
head during the 1991 Gulf War."
This second
line is cut and pasted, complete with the same grammatical
error.
plagiarism is regarded as intellectual
theft.
Sample text
Government dossier: (page 13), published
Jan 2003
"Saddam appointed, Sabir 'Abd
al-'Aziz al-Duri as head during the 1991 Gulf War. After the
Gulf War he was replaced by Wafiq Jasim al-Samarrai.
After Samarrai, Muhammad Nimah al-Tikriti
headed Al-Istikhbarat al-Askariyya in early 1992 then in late
1992 Fanar Zibin Hassan al-Tikriti was appointed to this post.
These shifting appointments are part of
Saddam's policy of balancing security positions. By constantly
shifting the directors of these agencies, no one can establish
a base in a security organisation for a substantial period of
time. No one becomes powerful enough to challenge the
President."
al-Marashi document: (section:
"MILITARY INTELLIGENCE", published sept 2002 - relevant parts
have been underlined
Saddam appointed,
Sabir ‘Abd al-‘Aziz al-Duri(80) as head of Military
Intelligence during the 1991 Gulf War.(81) After the
Gulf War he was replaced by Wafiq Jasim al-Samarrai.(82)
After Samarrai, Muhammad Nimah
al-Tikriti(83) headed Military Intelligence in early
1992(84) then in late 1992 Fanar Zibin Hassan
al-Tikriti was appointed to this post.(85) While Fanar is
from Tikrit, both Sabir al-Duri and Samarrai are non-Tikriti
Sunni Muslims, as their last names suggest.
Another source indicates that Samarrai was
replaced by Khalid Salih al-Juburi,(86) demonstrating how
another non-Tikriti, but from the tribal alliance that
traditionally support the regime holds top security positions
in Iraq.(87)
These shifting appointments
are part of Saddam’s policy of balancing security
positions between Tikritis and non-Tikritis, in the belief
that the two factions would not unite to overthrow him. Not
only that, but by constantly shifting the directors of
these agencies, no one can establish a base in a security
organization for a substantial period of time, that would
challenge the President.(88)
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