US
Arms Control Under-Secretary says US "confident" Iraq
has hidden weapons of mass destruction
John
Bolton, United States Under-Secretary of State for Arms Control
and International Security, today said the US is "confident"
Iraq has hidden weapons of mass destruction, including chemical
weapons, and production facilities.
Speaking
as part of a special BBC World Service debate on the Iraq conflict
he said: "There's a strong chance that UN weapons inspections
will work.
"The
US has already decided the outcome of this story - Saddam will be
left with no weapons of mass destruction - but how that point is
reached is up to Saddam Hussein.
"The
US has supplied all the political support the UN teams need and
they will also supply them with US gathered information on Iraq's
weapons of mass destruction."
Bolton
said: "We are confident that Saddam Hussein has hidden weapons
of mass destruction and production facilities in Iraq.
"We
will wait and see what the December 8th declaration says but there
is no doubt that Saddam is a threat to the region and needs to be
disarmed.
"Iraq
is already in breach of resolution 1441 by its attacks on coalition
air forces. This is not an effort to add up how many times they
breach resolution 1441, the real question is whether there is a
sustained effort at co-operation."
He
added: "There is no doubt in our mind that Saddam Hussein has
an active chemical and biological warfare effort.
"The
evidence is there - the question is whether the inspectors are allowed
to find it."
On
the point of whether the aim of the US was regime change in Iraq,
John Bolton said: "If Saddam Hussein fully disarms his country
of these weapons of mass destruction that is a kind of regime change.
"But
the end of the story is clear here. And if Saddam Hussein does not
co-operate we have made it clear this is the last chance for him.
"We
are not going to go through 10 more years of obstructionism in an
effort to keep these weapons of mass destruction. But let there
be no doubt that this is the central issue - a disarmed Iraq."
He
added: "I think the Iraqi people would be unique in history
if they didn't welcome the overthrow of this dictatorial regime.
"And
Iraqi opposition leaders of a variety of positions and views are
discussing now what will happen after Saddam Hussein.
"I
expect that the American role actually will be fairly minimal. I
think we'll have an important security role.
"I
think concluding the destruction of the weapons of mass destruction
themselves will be important.
"But
I think fundamentally the recreation of a hopefully democratic Iraqi
government - that must rest with the Iraqis.
"I
think they are fully competent to do it, I think it's a difficult
task given the complete absence of free political institutions in
Iraq but it's fundamentally up to them."
The
BBC World Service hosted a special
debate on issues relating to the Iraq crisis at 11.00am today
(Wednesday 19 November), repeated at 7.00pm.
Notes
to Editors
Leading
Iraq MP tells BBC Iraq will co-operate with weapons inspections
but warns of CIA involvement
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