US President Bush, defending his decision to go to war in Iraq, said Friday that a search for weapons of mass destruction made clear that Saddam Hussein was "a danger to the world" even though investigators have failed so far to find any illegal arsenal.
Bush made his comments foolowing the an interim report submitted by chief U.S. weapons inspector David Kay.
Bush said the investigation showed that Saddam was violating U.N. resolutions demanding that he disarm. "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," the US leader said.
He added the findings show that Saddam "actively deceived the international community, that Saddam Hussein, was in clear violation of United Nations Security Council resolution 1441 and that Saddam Hussein was a danger to the world."
The president brushed aside a poll that said public confidence in his ability to deal wisely with an international crisis had dropped sharply. "Sometimes the American people like the decisions I make, sometimes they don't," he said, according to The AP. "But they need to know I'll make tough decisions based upon what I think is right."
Noting that Kay found botulinum poison and work on longer-range missiles, Secretary of State Colin Powell said his report backed up the decision to go to war. "We are more convinced by the Kay report that we did the right thing," Powell told reporters Friday.
"Do you think vials of botulism should constitute a weapons of mass destruction?," Powell asked.
And at the same time, he said, the report verified that Iraq was trying to develop missiles beyond a range permitted by the United Nations. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
