But the Iraqi National Accord had a well-earned reputation for being riddled with double agents from Iraqi security. As the coup collapsed an Iraqi intelligence officer, in a final humiliating gesture, telephoned the CIA station chief in Jordan and told him to go home.The extent of MI6's involvement in the failed conspiracy was revealed by the Los Angeles Times at the weekend in an article based on interviews with CIA officers critical of the lack of support from the White House for their efforts to overthrow Saddam Hussein. It was crushed by Saddam Hussein who executed up to 80 Iraqi officers and arrested hundreds of others. It is one of the biggest fiascos in the history of British foreign intelligence since the war.
The coup attempt was organised through Amman, the capital of Jordan, and was to be carried out by the Iraqi National Accord led by Dr Iyad Mohammed Alawi, once a member of the ruling Iraqi Baath Party, who fled to London in 1971. The aim of the conspirators was to recruit Iraqi army and intelligence officers. The Labour MPs are also planning to lead a vigil in protest at the war outside Downing Street tomorrow.Meanwhile, a poll today by Talk Radio will show that 80 per cent of people are against war with Iraq.. EIGHTEEN months ago MI6 conducted a joint operation with the CIA to stage a military coup d'etat in Baghdad. Foreign Office sources re-issued details of intelligence reports gathered from Hussein Kamil, a defector from Saddam's inner coterie, who disclosed as early as 1995 that the dictator was hiding vast quantities of material involved in the production of weapons of mass destruction."UNSCOM has evidence that several organisations including the Special Republican Guard, the Special Security Organisation, and the Intelligence Organisation, have been involved in the mechanism (of concealment)," said a Foreign Office report.The Government motion supports the efforts to reach a diplomatic solution with Iraq but expresses its full support for the resolve of the Government to "use all necessary means to achieve an outcome consistent with UN resolutions".Leading Labour dissidents were meeting last night over their tactics for opposing the Government in the debate; around ten are expected to abstain or vote against. "We are ready to go now," one said.Mr Cook will use a debate in the Commons today to set out the reasons why the allies are preparing for military action.
KOFI ANNAN, Secretary-General of the UN, is to launch a last gasp effort to avoid war in the Gulf with a mission to Baghdad to persuade Saddam Hussein to allow his presidential palaces to be opened to arms inspectors. Others congregated at China Airlines headquarters in Taipei to pore over passenger manifests hung on a wall.No major discernible part of the aircraft, not even the fuselage, could be made out in the wreckage, which was strewn across a wide area adjacent to the airport."First I heard a great explosion and then the sky suddenly brightened." said a 60-year-old woman.A heavy fog that apparently contributed to the crash still hung over the scene long afterwards A thick blanket of white firefighting foam gave the jarring impression that snow had fallen on the subtropical island.Officials said there were several foreigners aboard but their number and nationalities were not known.. Mr Annan was holding consultations with the five permanent members of the Security Council in New York last night but senior sources in London indicated that he could go to Baghdad later this week. Robin Cook, the Foreign Secretary, made it clear Britain was "very supportive" but Downing Street emphasised that if the mission failed, Britain and the US remained ready to take action.In spite of remarks by US defence chiefs last week that it would take another week to build up the military presence in the Gulf, senior British defence sources continued to raise the military tensions. Most of the other victims were thought to be tourists.The cause of the crash is unknown. Last night, a China Airlines spokesman said that the company was awaiting further reports before making any comments.He confirmed that the pilot had told the control tower that visibility was bad and that he was making a second attempt to land.Visibility had been bad earlier in the day but had improved by nightfall when the plane came down. Contact was lost during the second attempt.The "black-box" flight-information and communication recorder, which may shed further light on the accident, has been recovered.Like most of China Airlines' pilots, both the captain and his deputy were ex-air force flyers The captain had been with the airline since 1991 The crashed plane was seven years old It is part of China Airlines' fleet of 10 Airbuses.
