Baghdad accuses arms inspectors of spying
Saddam declares he has no illegal weapons, while Vice-President says monitors are trying to provoke war
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Your support makes all the difference.The Iraqi Vice-President accused United Nations weapons inspectors of spying for the CIA and the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad yesterday.
In language reminiscent of clashes with inspectors in the 1990s, Taha Yassin Ramadan claimed their search of one of Saddam Hussein's palaces had been intended to trigger a war by provoking palace guards to refuse them entry.
But President Saddam has set himself on a potentially suicidal collision course with George Bush. The Iraqi document on its weapons programmes being submitted on Saturday, 24 hours before the United Nations deadline, will declare that the country possesses no illegal weapons of mass destruction.
Iraqi officials promised to deliver a 7,000-page document on the state of the country'sbiological, chemical, missile and nuclear technologies in both Arabic and English. The document will declare that all the technologies it possesses are within the limits set by the United Nations.
But Washington openly stated yesterday that it would prove Iraq was making a false declaration about its arsenal. America is pressing the UN inspectors to launch more aggressive searches by running multiple, simultaneous checks.
"We believe, and we have said it publicly, they continue to have weapons of mass destruction biological and chemical weapons,"Ari Fleischer, the White House spokesman, said. Previous denials that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction were proved false by UN inspections, he said. President Bush turned up the heat on Iraq, saying: "This is not a game anymore of, well, I'll say one thing and do another."
In Iraq, General Hossam Mohammed Amin, a close adviser of President Saddam, said: "It will be a huge declaration that comprises, of course, new elements. These elements are with regards to new sites and activities that have been conducted during the absence of the inspectors."
General Amin added that the new information would be about "dual use" of technology and material for civil and military purposes but not any prohibited activities. "We are a country devoid of weapons of mass destruction," he said.
UN inspectors in Baghdad also repudiated criticism of their efforts. Dimitri Perricos, head of Unmovic, said: "We are not serving the US and we are not serving the UK ... We think we are doing a proper job."
In Europe,the US Deputy Defence Secretary, Paul Wolfowitz, said Iraq's declaration would not in itself trigger a decision on military action. But he added: "If we get a dishonest statement, that is clearly going to have to be a major consideration of non-cooperation."
Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, had informal talks in Ankara over co-operation in the event of a war. Yasar Yakis, the Turkish Foreign Minister, who made a surprise announcement on Tuesday of military co-operation with America after a meeting with Mr Straw, made clear yesterday that a further UN resolution would be desirable before the start of any war.
* Global anti-Americanism is on the rise, according to a new poll by the Pew research group. A survey of 38,000 people in 44 countries, conducted between July and October, reveals a mounting dislike for perceived US unilateralism and its inability to understand the positions of other countries.
Criticism was greatest in Egypt, Jordan and Pakistan, seen by the US as allies, where some 70 per cent of those polled held unfavourable views. Anti-Americanism is also on the rise in Britain and Germany. Among the major powers, only in Russia had popular support for the US increased.
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