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Scientist: Iraq Had No Nuclear Program After Gulf War
VOA News
17 Sep 2003, 10:26 UTC


A senior official in Iraq's new science ministry says the country never
revived its nuclear program after U.N. inspectors dismantled it in the
1990's.
Abbas Balasem, an official of the new U.S.-backed administration in Baghdad,
said Tuesday Iraqi scientists had no way to re-start the program because the
inspectors took away all the necessary resources.

The former chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix echoed those sentiments,
telling Australian radio he believes Iraq destroyed almost all of the
weapons of mass destruction it had in the summer of 1991 - a position Iraq
constantly maintained.

That year, the International Atomic Energy Agency found what it called a
secret Iraqi program to develop nuclear weapons. The agency spent next
several years dismantling Iraq's capability.

Meanwhile, U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice said the Bush
administration had never accused ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein of being
involved in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States.

U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld also said there was no indication of
Iraqi involvement in the attacks. A recent Washington Post poll said more
than two-thirds of Americans believe the ousted Iraqi leader was involved.

In another matter, U.S. Brigadier General Janis Karpinski says coalition
forces are detaining six people claiming to be Americans and two who say
they are British. They are being held as security detainees - meaning they
are suspected of involvement in guerrilla attacks. General Karpinski said
there are also several hundred third country nationals in custody.





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