|
Published:
6 February 2003
Reporter:
Julian Rush
The government's carefully co-ordinated propaganda offensive took an
embarrassing hit tonight after Downing Street was accused of
plagiarism.
Read sample of the accused plagiarised text
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 Ranwala. 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)
|
