Published on
Thursday, November 21, 2002 by the Mirror/UK
Bush
Aide: Inspections or Not, We'll Attack Iraq
by Paul Gilfeather
GEORGE Bush's top
security adviser last night admitted the US would attack Iraq even if UN
inspectors fail to find weapons.
Dr
Richard Perle stunned MPs by insisting a "clean bill of health" from
UN chief weapons inspector Hans Blix would not halt America's war machine.
Evidence
from ONE witness on Saddam Hussein's weapons program will be enough to trigger
a fresh military onslaught, he told an all- party meeting on global security.
Former
defense minister and Labour backbencher Peter Kilfoyle said: "America is
duping the world into believing it supports these inspections. President Bush
intends to go to war even if inspectors find nothing.
"This
makes a mockery of the whole process and exposes America's real determination
to bomb Iraq."
Dr
Perle told MPs: "I cannot see how Hans Blix can state more than he can
know. All he can know is the results of his own investigations. And that does
not prove Saddam does not have weapons of mass destruction."
The
chairman of America's defense policy board said: "Suppose we are able to
find someone who has been involved in the development of weapons and he says
there are stores of nerve agents. But you cannot find them because they are so
well hidden.
"Do
you actually have to take possession of the nerve agents to convince? We are
not dealing with a situation where you can expect co-operation."
Mr
Kilfoyle said MPs would be horrified at the admission. He added: "Because
Saddam is so hated in Iraq, it would be easy to find someone to say they
witnessed weapons building.
"Perle
says the Americans would be satisfied with such claims even if no real evidence
was produced.
"That's
a terrifying prospect."
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