US stands firm on Iraq-WMD link
US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Monday that his government’s assessment of Iraq’s capacity for weapons of mass destruction (WMD) would stand the test of time.
On board an aircraft en route to Portugal, where he will begin a four-day European visit, with scheduled stops in Albania, Germany and Brussels for NATO meetings, Mr. Rumsfeld said: ‘The intelligence work that was done in this country and other countries and which we have watched become richer, fuller over the years, will end up proving to be correct.’
In the wake of the September 11 atrocities, US President George W. Bush’s administration pledged to rid the world of terrorism and WMDs.
Iraq, positioned on Bush’s ‘axis of evil’, alongside bedfellows Iran and North Korea, was said to be in possession of chemical and biological weapons, capable of killing thousands.
Saddam Hussein’s regime could not be trusted.
The resultant US-led war against Iraq, supported by UK, Australia and other allies, dethroned the undoubtedly authoritarian Saddam Hussein but has yet to unveil WMDs.
Elsewhere, Mr. Bush has reiterated his view that Iraq planned to make WMDs before Saddam Hussein’s fall from power. Proof will be forthcoming,
Mr. Bush said. ‘I am absolutely convinced, with time, we’ll find out that they did have a weapons program.’
He added: ‘The credibility of this country is based upon our strong desire to make the world more peaceful. And the world is now more peaceful, after our decision.’
Separately, a US intelligence report published on Monday said terrorist network al-Qaeda was likely to deploy WMDs within the next two years.
It said: ‘al-Qaida maintains the ability to inflict significant casualties in the United States with little or no warning.
‘The al-Qaida network will remain for the foreseeable future the most immediate and serious terrorism threat facing the United States
‘We judge that there is a high probability that al-Qaida will attempt an attack using a CBRN weapon within the next two years.’
