Iraq:  Rumsfeld Says Iraq Lies About Weapons of Mass Destruction

Iraq said yesterday that it has no weapons of mass destruction and called on the United States to provide proof to back up U.S. claims Iraq is pursuing such weapons, but a top U.S. official said the Iraqi statement was a lie, according to reports (see GSN, May 7).

“If the United States has any doubts on the fact that Iraq is exempt from such activity, installation or program related to weapons of mass destruction, they can show (Iraq) their suspicions, questions or information,” said an Iraqi Foreign Ministry statement issued yesterday.  “Iraq will clarify the truth on this subject.”

The United States must submit questions on the issue through a “relevant international organization designated for nonproliferation … or through their representation in Baghdad or the Iraqi diplomatic representation in Washington,” the ministry said.

The United States has repeatedly said Iraq must readmit U.N. weapons inspectors (see GSN, June 4) to verify the country no longer has or attempts to produce weapons of mass destruction (Agence France-Presse, June 9).

“Iraq has said on many occasions that it is not concerned with entering the mass destruction weapons club … we left it in 1991,” the statement said, adding that Iraq has met its U.N. commitments related to such weapons.  The United States has not provided any evidence of its claims that Iraq produces weapons of mass destruction, the statement said (Jordan Times, June 10).

U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said in response, “They are lying.”

“They have them [weapons of mass destruction], and they continue to develop them, and they have weaponized chemical weapons, we know that,” Rumsfeld said.  “They have an active program to develop nuclear weapons.  It is also clear that they are actively developing biological weapons.”

“The solution in Iraq would be regime change,” Rumsfeld said, adding he hoped Iraqi President Saddam Hussein would be removed from power during Rumsfeld’s time in office.

Rumsfeld Meets with Kuwaiti Officials and U.S. Troops

Rumsfeld also met today with senior Kuwaiti officials to discuss Iraq’s violations of U.N. resolutions.  They discussed “the way ahead” in the war on terrorism but did not talk about potential military action against Iraq, Rumsfeld said.

Rumsfeld spoke to U.S. troops at Kuwait’s Camp Doha Sunday.  “The global war on terrorism began in Afghanistan, to be sure, but it will not end there,” he said (see GSN, June 3).

“You are the people who stand between freedom and fear, between our people and a dangerous adversary that cannot be appeased, cannot be ignored and cannot be allowed to win,” he told about 1,000 troops stationed 35 miles from the Iraqi border, but he did not mention Iraq by name (MSNBC news services, June 10).

For further information, see:

UNMOVIC

IAEA Iraq Action Team

U.N. Office of the Iraq Program 

Back to top

About Newswire  |  Contact National Journal  |  Re-Use Guidelines

HOME  |  CONTACT US  |  GET INVOLVED  |  SITE MAP