Saddam has tons of chemical weapons says Spanish premier

Saddam Hussein has a “deadly arsenal” of several tons of chemical and biological weapons, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar said today.

The weapons included 8,500 litres of anthrax as well as mustard gas, sarin and VX, Aznar told Madrid newspaper ABC.

The anthrax threat alarmed the world a year ago, Aznar said, adding that “Saddam refuses to say what he has done” with his anthrax stocks.

“If we do not act firmly, it is only a question of time until these weapons are used by terrorists to a devastating effect,” he said.

Aznar is one of the staunchest European allies of President George Bush despite criticism by opposition parties and opinion polls.