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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Rascal who wrote (3619)	7/31/2002 5:40:03 PM
From: stockman_scott	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

Butler Says Iraq Is Unlikely To Help Arm Terrorists Biden Warns Administration to Consider Aftermath of Potential Invasion By Ken Guggenheim, Associated Press Wednesday, July 31, 2002; 4:13 PM WASHINGTON – Saddam Hussein continues to develop chemical and biological weapons and to seek nuclear weapons, but the Iraqi president is unlikely to share those arms with terror groups like al Qaeda, the former chief U.N. weapons inspector in Iraq told a Senate panel Wednesday. "I have seen no evidence of Iraq providing weapons of mass destruction to non-Iraqi terrorist groups," Richard Butler told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The committee was exploring the threat posed by Iraq, whether military force should be used to remove Saddam from power, whether U.S. allies would back a military strike and who would succeed Saddam if he is ousted. "In short, we need to weigh the risks of action versus inaction," said the committee chairman, Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.) White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said President Bush does not view the situation in Iraq as problem for the United States to take on alone. "The president thinks that Iraq presents a worldwide problem to peace," Fleischer said. Biden said he did not ask Bush administration officials to testify to avoid interfering with their internal debate on Iraq, but he said would likely call them for a future hearing. He urged the administration to lay out in advance how it would deal with the aftermath of a military campaign to remove Saddam, citing U.S. actions in Afghanistan to make his point. "The war was prosecuted exceptionally well in my view, but the follow-through ... has, in my judgment, fallen short," he said. "It would be a tragedy if we removed a tyrant in Iraq, only to leave chaos." Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) noted the 1991 Persian Gulf war had strong support from the American public and U.S. allies, who paid most of the financial costs, and added, "We have not yet determined if these same conditions are present today." The administration says Iraq is developing weapons of mass destruction that could threaten Iraq's neighbors and the United States. While offering no evidence of an Iraqi link to the Sept. 11 attacks, officials have said Saddam has ties to terrorists and could share his weapons with them. But Butler said he doubts that would happen, even though Iraq has trained terrorists and carried out its own terrorist operations. "I suspect that given his psychology and aspirations, Saddam would be reluctant to share what he believes to be an indelible source of his power," he said. Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) told reporters Wednesday that he suspects members of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda are in Iraq. The issue is relevant to whether Bush would need to seek Congress' backing for a military campaign against Iraq. Democrats say Bush should seek a congressional resolution. But Lott noted that Congress has already authorized Bush to pursue al Qaeda. Lott said seeking a congressional resolution would be like saying "Mr. Saddam Hussein, we're coming, we're coming, get ready." But Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) said he is unaware of any intelligence that al Qaeda is in Iraq. "It would be a big mistake for the president to act without Congress," he said. "There has to be a debate." Iraq analysts appearing before the committee agreed on the dangers Saddam posed, but were divided about what the U.S. response should be. Butler suggested the United States work closely with Russia to pressure Iraq to accept a serious weapons inspection program. Iraq has refused to allow the return of inspectors, who left ahead of 1998 allied airstrikes that punished Iraq for blocking inspections. But Khidhir Hamza, an Iraqi nuclear physicist who defected in 1994, said it is unlikely inspectors could uncover hidden weapons development programs. "With no large easily distinguishable nuclear sites and little or no human intelligence, it is difficult to see how any measure short of a regime change will be effective," he said. washingtonpost.com