US ignores UN weapons report paving way for war in Iraq

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.

Washington's stance clashed with chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix, who yesterday told the Security Council that his teams had so far found no “smoking guns” in Iraq.

However, Mr Blix added Baghdad had failed to answer “many questions” about its weapons programmes.

“We have now been there (Iraq) for some two months and been covering the country in ever wider sweeps and we haven’t found any smoking guns,” UN chief weapons inspector Hans Blix told the Security Council last night.

The White House insisted it knows “for a fact” that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction. The United States, in keeping with past practice, did not reveal what evidence it possesses proving that Iraq has the illegal arms.

“The heart of the problem is Iraq is very good at hiding things” said White House spokesman Ari Fleischer. “Well, the problem with guns that are hidden is you can't see their smoke. And so, we will still wait to see what the inspectors find in Iraq and what events in Iraq lead to.”

UN arms inspectors, however, have discovered that Iraq violated sanctions by importing missile engines and raw material for the production of solid missile fuel, Mr Blix said. Mr Blix also told the Security Council Iraq has not made a “serious effort,” to respond to his request for the names of Iraqi scientists who were involved in weapons of mass destruction programmes.

As Mr Blix addressed the UN Security Council yesterday, the US Air Force began sending dozens of B-1B bombers and fighter aircraft to the Gulf region Officials at the Pentagon and Air Combat Command headquarters at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, said four-engine B-1B jets from the 28th Bomb Wing began departing Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, on Tuesday night and that fighter and attack planes will go from US bases in coming days.

The warplanes join thousands of Army and Marine Corps combat troops flowing to the Gulf in a new year’s surge that will more than double the 60,000 US military personnel now stationed at bases in Kuwait and aircraft carrier battle groups.