WASHINGTON/BAGHDAD, 29 December 2002 — The US has set in motion the final buildup of men and equipment for an invasion of Iraq which now looks all but certain to happen some time in February — whatever the UN inspectors inside the country unearth or fail to unearth.

A US official said two aircraft carriers had been put on alert for possible use against Iraq and the Washington Post said Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has signed an order sending “significant” ground forces and combat aircraft to the Gulf.

Washington planners looked ahead, drawing up plans to secure key cities and use Iraqi oil revenues for reconstruction after a possible US-led invasion toppled President Saddam Hussein.

Iraq, meanwhile, handed over to UN arms inspectors yesterday a list of the names of more than 500 Iraqi scientists who have participated in banned weapons programs, a UN spokesman said.

“Today, we have received from the Iraqi National Monitoring Directorate a list of names of personnel associated with Iraq’s chemical, biological, nuclear and ballistic weapons programs,” Hiro Ueki told a news briefing in Baghdad.

This weekend the US Navy issued “prepare to deploy” instructions to two aircraft carrier groups, two amphibious assault groups and the 1,000-bed hospital ship USS Comfort, for them to be ready to go to the Gulf at 96 hours’ notice.

No specific date has been disclosed. But events in the region, on the ground in Iraq and at US military bases around the world are unfolding as if choreographed — all pointing to a US-led attack to topple Saddam some six to eight weeks from now. Inside Iraq, inspectors have started their second month of work, with daily visits to up to half a dozen sites suspected of being linked to banned Iraqi nuclear, chemical, biological and missile programs.

So far, however, nothing suggests the inspectors have discovered any damning evidence. Despite vague undertakings by Baghdad, there is no sign that any key Iraqi scientist, plus his family, will dare to leave the country for questioning — a process which Washington maintains is the only way of securing an honest account of what Saddam is up to, without threat of retaliation by the regime.

The few scientists who have taken part in interviews have done so on Iraqi soil, invariably in the presence of a government official. Not surprisingly, accounts of their value differ sharply. On Friday, for instance, a UN spokesman said one scientist, Kadhem Mojbil, had yielded information about Iraqi military work suspected of being part of a secret bid to construct nuclear weapons, which could be “of great use” as the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency prepared its assessment of Saddam’s programs. But Mojbil yesterday dismissed the claims. “I strongly deny this,” he told a press conference in Baghdad. “I’m very annoyed about these statements and such fabrications.”

In Baghdad, Iraq’s Trade Minister Mehdi Salah, proclaimed that his countrymen would “fight from village to village, from city to city and from street to street”. The enemy “will be taught an unforgettable lesson if he tries to attack”, vowed Salah as he announced extra food rations for civilians. (The Independent)