Iraq bans weapons in bid to stave off war

SADDAM HUSSEIN banned nuclear, chemical and biological weapons yesterday, meeting a long-time UN demand even as top weapons inspectors told the Security Council they have found no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

The presidential decree, sought by the UN for more than a decade, prohibited the production or importation of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons and of all materials used to make them.

“All ministries should implement this decree and take whatever measures are necessary to punish people who do not adhere to it,” the decree read.