20 years since Iraq invasion, Paul Bremer talks about the ‘big mistake’
The former director of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) in Iraq, Paul Bremer, with former US President George W. Bush. Photo: AFP
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The former director of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) in Iraq, Paul Bremer, said that the US intelligence was mistaken about the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and the mistake was acknowledged.
In an interview with Sky News Arabia, Bremer explained that the US intelligence is not the only one that said that there are weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Germany, France and Russia also talked about it.
“The thing that wasn’t said was what we found after we entered Iraq. Saddam Hussein had plans to resume production of weapons of mass destruction,” Bremer said.
“Iraqi scientists said Saddam Hussein had a plan to resume his weapons of mass destruction program in the form of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons,” the former director of the CPA elaborated.
“The Iraqi army was a tool used by Saddam Hussein, and this army committed a massacre against the Kurds, and launched mass attacks against the Shiites and killed thousands of them,” Bremer illustrated.
“There is no doubt that the situation in Iraq is better today, for example, the GDP per capita is five times what it was in 2003, oil production also now is five times what it was in 2003,” Bremer mentioned.
The CPA’s former director added that economic indicators show that the Iraqis live under a democratic government which they elect.
Bremer also mentioned that the political situation and economic progress made over the past 20 years is undeniable.