What they uncovered in Iraq was stockpiles of US and UK lies, which seem more a threat to world peace than any other weapon on earth. But it is not over folks... give them time to plant weapons then suddenly 'discover' them to fool the mass of gullible American people.-- Ayinde
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05oct03
PRESIDENT George Bush said yesterday that a vial of botulinum bacteria found in Iraq was evidence of Saddam Hussein's weapons intent.
But
the chief US weapons inspector said the vial had been stored for safekeeping in an Iraqi scientist's refrigerator since 1993. He offered no evidence it had been used in a weapons program during the past decade.Inspector David Kay also said American weapons hunters had found no evidence Iraq had recently tried to import semi-refined uranium from Niger or elsewhere. Mr Bush cited that claim in his State of the Union address, although administration officials later acknowledged it was based on shaky intelligence and should not have been included.
But Mr Kay's search teams located documents suggesting another country in Africa, which Mr Kay refused to identify, had offered uranium to Iraq, although it did not appear the deal went through.
"We don't have any evidence it moved beyond what was probably an unsolicited offer," Mr Kay said.
He had reported to Congress on Friday that his team so far had found no weapons of mass destruction inside Iraq. But Mr Bush said yesterday the Iraq war was justified and cited a handful of evidence, including the vial of bacteria that Mr Kay found, as ample signs that Saddam "was a danger to the world".
"The report states that Saddam Hussein's regime had a clandestine network of biological laboratories, a live strain of deadly agent botulinum, sophisticated concealment efforts and advanced design work on prohibited longer-range missiles," Mr Bush told reporters.
Secretary of State Colin Powell also cited the discovery of the vial of bacteria, along with confirmation that Iraq was trying to develop longer-range missiles than the UN permitted.
"We are more convinced by the Kay report that we did the right thing," Mr Powell told reporters. "Do you think vials of botulism should constitute a weapon of mass destruction? They never lost that capability. They never lost that intent."
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said: "You kill people with botuli. They have no other use."
The toxin can be used as a biological weapon.
Mr Kay, in a briefing later with reporters, said the Iraqi scientist who had the vial had been given it for safekeeping at his home by another senior scientist in 1993. He initially had other samples, most of which he quickly returned. http://www.sundaytimes.news.com.au
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