Indian trading firm NEC Engineering Private Ltd. has been identified as the first definitive link in the chain of suppliers sustaining Iraq's efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction, in violation of UN sanctions. Washington has refrained from exposing the NEC case so far to avoid embarrassing the Indian government, reported Los Angeles Times.
Between 1998 and 2001, NEC has managed to deliver $800,000 worth of raw materials and equipment—including atomized aluminum powder and titanium centrifugal pumps—that could be used to produce chemical weapons.
Indian court records show that NEC’s elaborate export network was based on forged customs declarations and front companies that covered up the trails of these 10 consignments, going through Jordan and Dubai. NEC has been exporting chemical engineering and oil drilling equipment since 1984 to Persian Gulf countries. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
