What are the links between Al Qeada and the former Iraqi Government. 
How heavely was this evidence/speculation relied upon as justification
for starting the war. I really want to see both sides of the story in
the answer and as many links to easy to read but acurate and reliable
sourses.

Hi! Thanks for the question.

I found an article that discusses the links made by the US government,
which led to the war against Iraq.

- “The CIA has confirmed, in interviews with detainees and informants
it finds highly credible, that al Qaeda's Number 2, Ayman al-Zawahiri,
met with Iraqi intelligence in Baghdad in 1992 and 1998. More
disturbing, according to an administration official familiar with
briefings the CIA has given President Bush, the Agency has
"irrefutable evidence" that the Iraqi regime paid Zawahiri $300,000 in
1998, around the time his Islamic Jihad was merging with al Qaeda.”

- "’We have solid reporting of senior level contacts between Iraq and
al Qa'ida going back a decade,’ Tenet wrote. ‘Credible information
indicates that Iraq and al Qa'ida have discussed safe haven and
reciprocal non-aggression. Since Operation Enduring Freedom [in
Afghanistan], we have solid evidence of the presence in Iraq of al
Qa'ida members, including some that have been in Baghdad.’”

- “We have credible reporting that al Qa'ida leaders sought contacts
in Iraq who could help them acquire WMD capabilities.”

- “The reporting also stated that Iraq has provided training to al
Qa'ida members in the areas of poisons and gases and making
conventional bombs.”

- “Throughout the summer and fall of 2002, al Qaeda operatives held in
Guantanamo corroborated previously sketchy reports of a series of
meetings in Khartoum, Sudan, home to al Qaeda during the mid-90s. U.S.
officials learned more about the activities of Abu Abdullah al-Iraqi,
an al Qaeda WMD specialist sent by bin Laden to seek WMD training, and
possibly weapons, from the Iraqi regime.”

“Saddam's al Qaeda Connection”
http://www.theweeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/003/033jgqyi.asp


I will provide here other reliable articles discussing the tensions
about the links of Iraq and Al Qaida.

Pro Bush Administration:

“Clear ties of terror link Iraq to Al Qaeda”
http://www.iht.com/articles/84885.html 

“U.S. Renews Claims of Hussein-Al Qaeda Link”
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-intel30jan30,0,6143421.story?coll=la-home-headlines

“Intelligence break let Powell link Iraq and Qaeda”
http://www.iht.com/articles/85950.html 


---------------------------
Articles Disputing Iraq-Al Qaida Link:

“Weak Link”
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/wnt/DailyNews/ansar030205_krekar.html

“Key to U.S. Case Denies Iraq-Al Qaeda Link”
http://www.latimes.com/la-fg-mullah1feb01,0,3525790.story 

“U.N. committee: No Iraq-al-Qaeda link”
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2003-06-26-iraq-alqaeda_x.htm

“How Close Were Iraq and Al-Qaeda?”
http://www.time.com/time/columnist/karon/article/0,9565,472023,00.html

“Experts skeptical of reports on al-Qaeda-Baghdad link”
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2002-09-26-iraq-alqaeda_x.htm 

“The Case for War Remains Unmade”
http://www.counterpunch.org/bennis02062003.html 

“Powell’s Dubious Case for War”
http://www.foreignpolicy-infocus.org/pdf/gac/0302powell.pdf 

Search terms used:            
"al qaeda" iraq connection OR "al qaeda" iraq link AND powell
   
I hope these links would help you in your research. Before rating this
answer, please ask for a clarification if you have a question or if
you would need further information.
           
Thanks for visiting us.           
           
Regards,           
Easterangel-ga           
Google Answers Researcher

I would not want to question the political neutrality of a Googles
Answers researcher but the weekly standard is a right-wing magazine
produce by Rupert Murdoch and amongst the most fervent supporters of
the war in Iraq

I think that if you will search the news sources on the internet you
would find an equal number of articles that say on the one hand that
- that there are WMD evidences and Al Quaeda evidence that will soon
come out and be proved incontrovertible
or, on the other hand
- that there is no credible WMD evidence after 1995 at the latest, and
that there is no proveable evidence that Al Quaeda had any meaningful
contact with the Iraqi government

Personally, I think that faced with this morass, one takes one's
chances as one's sees fit

A range of websites for news coverage is probably a must for anyone
seeking to be unbiased in this.

Google News is actually one of the best (no creeping intended lol)
- I think it uses some kind of most-visited algorithm to get its
listing of front page stories, so will include views from all sides
based on how many people are reading them worldwide

Al Jazeera, the (UK) Guardian, Dar Al Hayat etc offer views that are
probably contrary to the mainstream American media

cnn.com, cbsnews.com and MSN's news service often carry articles about
how aspects of the war on terror (sic) are viewed elsewhere, though
you often have to search their sites for them. The main news stories
are usually US-focused, which is probably natural

wolvies

One year on, and still no link even suggested.  

To use the argument that:

"al Qaeda's Number 2, Ayman al-Zawahiri, met with Iraqi intelligence
in Baghdad [and] the Iraqi regime paid Zawahiri $300,000"

is ridiculous - hasn't the US met asl Qaeda's supposed number 1, Osama
himself, and paid him plenty more money that that????  So shouldn't
the USA invade ITSELF?????