Defending his decision to invade Iraq, US President George W Bush said that although stockpiles of biological and chemical weapons have not been found, Saddam Hussein had the capacity to produce such arms and could have developed a nuclear weapon over time.

FORMER UN chief weapons inspector Hans Blix accused the US and Britain yesterday of “over-interpreting” information about Saddam Hussein’s alleged weapons of mass destruction.

Former UN chief weapons inspector Hans Blix believes that Iraq destroyed most of its weapons of mass destruction 10 years ago.

UN Chief Weapons Inspector Dr Hans Blix yesterday hit out at the “bastards” in Washington, who he claims ran a smear campaign against him.

US officials sought to discredit the United Nations’ weapons inspectors in the period ahead of the outbreak of war against Iraq, chief investigator Dr Hans Blix claimed today.

AS thousands of Iraqis took to the streets to celebrate the fall of Saddam Hussein, the United States was already sabre rattling in the next phase of its war on so-called rogue nations.

The Chief weapons inspector has told the United Nations Security Council he is saddened that his staff have been forced to pull out of Iraq.

The United States has rejected out of hand a proposal by Chile to give Saddam Hussein a last chance to disarm peacefully, leaving no compromise in sight and casting further doubt on any United Nations backing for war.

IRAQ will send a report on its disposal of VX nerve agent to chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix today and another report on anthrax a few days later, a diplomatic source said.

Chief weapons inspector Hans Blix has told the UN Security Council that Iraq's destruction of Al Samoud 2 missiles was a "substantial measure of disarmament".

The British and US push for a fresh United Nations resolution on Iraq was expected to suffer a fresh set-back when the chief inspectors report today.

SADDAM HUSSEIN is on the verge of concluding he has successfully faced down the UN, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw warned last night.

NORTH of Baghdad yesterday, drivers climbed onto yellow bulldozers to pulverise missiles and warheads. To the south, workers donned welding gear and used cutting torches to dismember giant metal casting chambers.

The Iraqi crisis has dominated The Green Party's convention being held in Ennis today.

Russia warned today that it might veto the Anglo-American war resolution before the sharply divided UN Security Council. But Pakistan – a Muslim nation that could be a key swing vote – signalled growing support for Washington.

IRAQ must fully disarm to avoid war, President George W Bush said yesterday, as he urged the United Nations to “honour its word” and back US action against Saddam Hussein.

Saddam Hussein may be having second thoughts about his initial defiance of UN orders to destroy Iraq’s Al Samoud 2 missiles.

UN chief weapons inspector Hans Blix yesterday said Iraq must begin destroying its Al-Samoud missiles by Saturday, rejecting Baghdad’s bid for more time to hold technical talks.

The United Nations chief nuclear inspector has accused Iraq of not doing enough to convince the world that it has no banned weapons.

Weapons inspectors paid a surprise visit to a Baghdad missile plant today as international experts met behind closed doors in New York to assess whether Iraq’s short-range missiles can fly farther than permitted.

Nato was still deadlocked today as emergency talks went on to repair the damage of a 16-3 split over Iraq.

US Defence Secretary Donald H Rumsfeld warned wary Europeans today that delaying preparations for war in Iraq could make that war more likely while undermining both the Nato alliance and the United Nations.

Chief weapons inspector Hans Blix says an Iraqi scientist's decision to be interviewed alone suggests Baghdad "is making an effort" to co-operate.

TONY BLAIR and Jacques Chirac yesterday attempted to paper over the cracks in Europe about war in Iraq by agreeing that the crisis must be resolved through the United Nations.

UNITED NATIONS weapons inspectors have seen no sign of increased co-operation from Iraq since they handed in their report to the UN Security Council on Monday, chief weapons inspector Hans Blix said yesterday.

The US took its campaign for war with Iraq behind the UN Security Council’s closed doors tonight only hours after President Bush left the world in little doubt that conflict to remove Saddam Hussein was all but inevitable.

THE fall in the value of the dollar will impact negatively on the earnings of Irish companies with exposure to US markets, hitting earnings by an average of 2% to 3%.

Iraq has not genuinely accepted a UN resolution demanding that it disarm and while Baghdad is co-operating on access, it needs to do more on substance, chief weapons inspector Hans Blix told the Security Council today.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell today urged the international community to fulfil its “solemn responsibility” to disarm Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein of his weapons of mass destruction.

BRITAIN dramatically beefed up its military force last night as 30,000 troops prepared to travel to the Gulf for war against Iraq.

The chief UN arms monitors today said “some progress” was being made towards greater Iraqi cooperation, but that “time is running out” for Baghdad.

THE United States moved closer to a military showdown with Saddam Hussein last night by insisting it knows “for a fact” that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction.

IRAQ said yesterday it had nothing to hide over its arms programmes and that the United States was even welcome to send in CIA agents to direct UN inspectors to sites it deemed suspect.

THE United States is on course towards war for early next year after Washington declared Iraq in “material breach” of a UN disarmament resolution last night.

Chief weapons inspector Hans Blix was telling the Security Council today that there is “not much” new information about Iraq’s weapons programmes in its 12,000-page declaration.

Leading shares were surging in opening deals, with the FTSE 100 testing the 3,900 point barrier as tobacco and oil stocks advanced, while positive news from Oracle overnight aided second-line technology stocks, dealers said. At 8.59 am, the FTSE 100 index was up 67.9 points to 3,903.1, having earlier touched a high of 3,907.2.

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has sparked a row with the United States over who should have photocopied the Iraqi weapons declaration.

Weapons inspectors in New York and Vienna began combing through Iraq’s massive dossier detailing its chemical, biological and nuclear programmes today, to determine whether Baghdad is complying with United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Chief weapons inspector Hans Blix and the head of the UN nuclear agency Mohamed ElBaradei flew to Cyprus today after what they described as a constructive visit to Iraq.

With the imprimatur of the United Nations at last stamped on his campaign against Iraq, President George W Bush can now seal the fate of Saddam Hussein.

The Bush administration was today sending Congress a resolution seeking its authorisation for the use of military force against Iraq.

The UN chief weapons inspector says there is no evidence that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction or is trying to build them.

SAUDI ARABIA has told the US it will not be allowed use the kingdom’s soil for any attack on Iraq, Foreign Minister Prince Saud said yesterday.

Saudi Arabia has made it clear to Washington that the United States will not be allowed to use the kingdom’s soil for any attack on Iraq, Foreign Minister Prince Saud said today.