Secretary of State Colin “Powell spoke of ‘decades-long experience with respect to ties between Iraq and al Qaeda,’ in his February 5, 2003, presentation at the UN Security Council. ‘Going back to the early and mid-1990s when bin Laden was based in Sudan, an al Qaeda source tells us that Saddam and bin Laden reached an understanding that al Qaeda would no longer support activities against Baghdad. Early al Qaeda ties were forged by secret high-level intelligence service contacts with al Qaeda.’ ”
– Stephen F. Hayes, The Connection, Page 22