US to release intelligence. Is the nitty-gritty of the beef coming down the pike; or will it be but a little-itty-bitty of not much going nowhere?
Bush to declassify info on concealed Iraqi weapons: report
January 28 2003
Washington
US President George W Bush has decided to declassify some intelligence information that shows Iraq has moved and hidden banned weapons from UN inspectors, The Washington Post reported on its website yesterday.
Citing unnamed officials, the report said Bush could release the information as early as next week in a bid to convince reluctant allies and a wary US public of the need for military force in Iraq.
But the sources told the paper US intelligence had not yet found any large cache of banned weapons or weapons supplies, and still had no definitive evidence to prove Iraq had chemical or biological weapons.
The declassified information would show senior Iraqi officials and military officers had directed the operation to move and hide weapons, or had had knowledge of the operation, the report said. The movements came sometimes just hours before UN inspectors arrived, it added.
"We will lay out the case that we can, and we will leave it to others to judge," a senior State Department official told the paper.
"When you listen to it, it should be disturbing to those people who listen objectively. To those who have made up their minds and want to duck their heads in the sand, it will pass right over them."
Mr Bush has faced mounting calls from US allies such as France to allow UN inspectors more time to determine whether Iraq has any weapons prohibited by the United Nations.
At home, opinion polls showed Americans were increasingly wary of military action, and opposition Democrats today again called on Mr Bush to present proof Iraq had banned weapons. |
