Saddam scrapped WMD after Gulf War
Dr Jaffar Dhia Jaffar, who was at the centre of the country's nuclear programme, told the BBC that there was no prospect of resurrecting the doomsday projects following the 1991 order.
Dr Jaffar also poured scorn on British claims that Saddam tried to procure "yellow cake" uranium for a nuclear bomb from the African state of Niger.
While the US has disowned the intelligence, Britain has continued to suggest it is correct.
However, the scientist said: "We had 500 tons of yellow cake in Baghdad at the time, so why should we go buy another 500 tons from Niger?"
No WMD had been found in Iraq because it was destroyed 12 years before the latest war took place, he said last night.
"The facilities of the programme were damaged during the (first Gulf) war," Dr Jaffar said. "Iraq did not have ... would not have had the resources under sanctions to continue with the programme ...
"Saddam took a decision in July 1991 to abandon the programme and destroy what remained of its equipment.
"We had orders to hand over the equipment to the Republican Guards, to the Special Republican Guards, and they had orders to destroy the equipment that we handed over to them.
"Everything was destroyed, such that the programme couldn't be restarted at the time and never restarted."
Meanwhile, The Iraqi Interior Ministry said yesterday it had "no intention" of arresting former Iraqi Governing Council member Ahmad Chalabi on counterfeiting charges, despite an arrest warrant issued by an Iraqi court.
The announcement came a day after Chalabi returned to Iraq from Iran to face the charges against him.
"There is no intention to carry out any measure in this regard until finalising the legal measures," Interior Ministry spokesman Sabah Kadhim said, referring to the arrest warrant. Kadhim said security forces were busy concentrating on putting down the violence wracking the country.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
