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8/26/2002 (9:12) |
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WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (UPI) -- The Pentagon is circulating a detailed assessment of Iraq's nuclear, biological and chemical weapons programs, and has privately briefed key allies and lawmakers on the Bush administration's possible war plans, according to a published report Monday.
The military is also working on a document that purportedly will show links between al Qaida and Iraq, its security forces and government-run businesses, the Washington Times reported. Those documents have not yet been widely distributed within the government, officials said.
Bush administration officials told the Times the weapons briefing was 'educational' and say it talks of all threats from weapons of mass destruction, not just Iraq's. But they also acknowledge it will help to make the case for invading Iraq should President Bush give the order.
The briefing was headed by J.D. Crouch II, assistant secretary of defense for international security policy. He is among the so-called 'hard-liners' inside the Pentagon who favor military action to oust Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, the newspaper said.
The briefing was presented top NATO allies in Brussels some weeks ago. A group of a dozen or so U.S. senators visited the Pentagon on Aug. 1 to hear the classified briefing.
Officials said the Pentagon briefing makes it clear that Iraq has the ability to use chemical weapons in battle, Sources declined to disclose the latest intelligence estimate on how close Saddam is to owning nuclear weapons.
Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., who attended the Pentagon meeting, declined to discuss the briefing's specifics.
'It dealt with all the threats,' Cochran told the Times, adding that the briefing was attendee mostly by Republican senators and lasted about one hour. Cochran said he is not convinced that Iraq's weapons programs justify a U.S. invasion.
'People wring their hands over an invasion of Iraq,' he told the Times. 'I don't think we're going to invade Iraq. There's no clear and present danger to the United States we know of right now. If there were, we would take action to prevent an attack against out country.'
Cochran said the best approach is to confirm through intelligence sources the location of weapons sites that pose a threat to the United States, and then surgically destroy them.
Copyright © 2002 United Press International. All rights reserved.
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