WASHINGTON/BAGHDAD, 9 September — US Vice President Dick Cheney yesterday said Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had "actively and aggressively" stepped up efforts to obtain nuclear weapons materials the last 12 months. On one occasion, the US intercepted an Iraqi-bound shipment of thousands of aluminum tubes designed to help produce enriched uranium.
Cheney said this recent upsurge in efforts to obtain a nuclear device was a key factor in the Bush administration’s conviction that "regime-change" in Iraq was vital. Cheney’s accusations were dismissed by senior Iraqi politicians and the former UN weapons inspector, Scott Ritter, who yesterday addressed the Iraqi Parliament.
US officials also said the growing threat from Iraq reaffirmed the need for fast and deliberate action — without UN approval if necessary — and said a decision would be made within weeks. Ahead of a crucial phase in President George W. Bush’s declared campaign to bring down Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, Cheney told NBC television that future US action, including any possible military offensive, "will depend a lot on the course of what happens over these next few weeks."
Secretary of State Colin Powell said that no matter the reaction to Bush’s UN speech on Thursday, the president could still order a go-it-alone operation. "The president will retain all of his authority and options to act in a way that may be appropriate for us to act unilaterally to defend ourselves," the top US diplomat told Fox News television.
Cheney, considered one of the most hard-line figures within the Bush administration, said those European nations critical of the US did not have access to the same intelligence information that he had seen: "If you look at the way (Saddam) has sought to obtain chemical, biological and nuclear weapons over the years and the fact that he has been prepared to use them...," he said. Cheney confirmed a report that the US had intercepted a shipment of aluminum tubes bound for Baghdad. It was reported that American intelligence experts believed the tubes were designed to be used in centrifuges used to produce enriched uranium — one of the essential ingredients of a nuclear weapon.
Earlier, Iraq reacted with defiance to a US-British summit focusing on its possible nuclear arms threat, while Russia underlined international concern over the dangers of any pre-emptive military strike on Baghdad. Apparently reflecting business as usual in the Iraqi capital, authorities went ahead with plans for a mid-October referendum on the rule of Saddam.
Bush had talks on Saturday with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who said afterward they had "total determination" to deal with Iraq but wanted the broadest international support. Blair and Bush focused on a potential nuclear threat from Iraq at their Camp David talks, but both leaders left open whether they would take military action to counter it without the backing of other states. (The Independent)
