US President George W. Bush is likely to declare Iraq in "material breach" of a UN resolution on disarmament this week, US officials said yesterday -- language that could ultimately lead to war.
They said Bush was not expected to cite the violation as an immediate trigger for military action.
PHOTO: AFP
In Iraq, UN inspectors, starting the fourth week of their hunt for Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's alleged weapons of mass destruction, searched at least nine sites.
A UN Security Council resolution adopted last month gave Iraq a last chance to come clean on its weapons programs or face "serious consequences."
Baghdad denies having any nuclear, biological or chemical arms.
UN experts are analyzing a 12,000-page Iraqi declaration on its weapons programs, but Washington has already indicated it is unhappy with the contents.
The UN resolution says false statements or omissions in the declaration coupled with a failure to comply with weapons inspections would be a "material breach" of Iraq's obligations.
US officials said Bush was likely to say Iraq had violated the resolution, but it was not an immediate case for war.
Chief UN arms inspector Hans Blix is due to make a presentation on the Iraqi dossier to the UN Security Council today.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Monday he expected a final verdict on the dossier this week after Blix spoke.
US and UN diplomats have said a preliminary review suggests the dossier fails to account for chemical and biological agents and does not explain why Iraq has allegedly sought nuclear technology in recent years.
Bush's national security advisers were to meet later yesterday to discuss the situation, a senior administration official said.
In Britain, UK Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon confirmed the country was preparing for possible war, but stressed conflict was neither imminent nor inevitable.
Britain has been America's closest ally in a bid to force Iraq to comply with demands to disarm and British troops are expected to play a key role in any military action.
The government has told troops, reservists and arms manufacturers to gear up for a possible war.
"What we are doing is preparing in the event of military action being necessary," Hoon told BBC Radio.
"But I want to emphasize that no decision has been taken to launch military action," he said.
Asked about Bush's expected declaration, British Prime Minister Tony Blair's spokesman said Britain was treating Baghdad's weapons dossier "with great skepticism."
But he added, "We haven't yet completed a full analysis. That will take us into the New Year."
IAEA head Mohammed ElBaradei said he had no proof Iraq had tried to build a forbidden weapons program in the intervening period.
"No evidence has surfaced so far that facilities have been changed since 1998," ElBaradei said in remarks published in the Egyptian daily al-Ahram yesterday.
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