The United States on Monday amplified "the axis of evil" to include Cuba, Libya and Syria - nations it claimed were developing, or considering developing, weapons of mass destruction.
In his January State of the Union Address, U.S. President George W. Bush denounced what he called the "axis of evil," which includes Iran, Iraq and North Korea. During a speech entitled "Beyond the Axis of Evil," Undersecretary of State John Bolton said that in addition to Iran, Iraq and North Korea, other "rogue states" were trying to acquire weapons of mass destruction, in particular biological weapons.
"There is no doubt that Libya continues its long-standing pursuit of nuclear weapons," as well as chemical weapons, biological weapons and ballistic missile capability, Bolton said. The United States is also concerned about "Syrian advances in its indigenous CW (chemical weapons) infrastructure" and believes that Syria is "pursuing development of biological weapons" and is able to produce at least small amounts of biological warfare agents, Bolton said.
He did not mention any warnings of possible U.S. military action against these countries, but said the United States would crack down on those who violate non-proliferation of weapons agreements and will work in cooperation with other countries to prevent this proliferation. (Albawaba.com)
