US to review pre-war intelligence

Mr Kay cast doubt on Iraq's weapons programmes

The United States is to review the intelligence it used to justify the war in Iraq, the White House has said.

But spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters the US Government stood by its decision to topple Saddam Hussein.

The chief US weapons inspector, David Kay, resigned last week saying it appeared there were no illegal stockpiles of weapons in Iraq.

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Tony Blair is preparing for a crucial report involving the case he made for war.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the decision to review pre-war intelligence was so that it could be compared with what is currently being found in Iraq.

"We want to compare the intelligence before the war with what the Iraq Survey Group learns on the ground. Their mission is ongoing, their work is ongoing," he said.

Intelligence doubts

Former head of the Iraq Survey Group, David Kay, resigned on Friday saying he did not believe Iraq possessed large chemical or biological stockpiles.

"I think we have found probably 85% of what we're going to find," he said.

In quotes: Iraq's WMD

Mr Kay also questioned the abilities of the intelligence services and said the CIA owed the president an explanation for warnings about the threat Iraq posed.

Mr McClellan refused to be drawn on whether the Bush administration still believed weapons would be found - as it has previously asserted.

"We believe it's important for the Iraq Survey Group to complete its work so we have as complete a picture as possible... It will help us learn the truth," he said.

But he did reaffirm the White House's position on going to war in the first place.

"Saddam Hussein was a dangerous and gathering threat and the president made the right decision to remove him from power," he said.

Review calls

Upon resigning, Mr Kay told Reuters news agency he did not believe there had been large-scale production of chemical or biological weapons in Iraq since the end of the first Gulf War in 1991.

"I don't think they existed," Mr Kay said.

Tony Blair is facing one of the toughest weeks of his career

"What everyone was talking about is stockpiles produced after the end of the last Gulf War and I don't think there was a large-scale production programme in the 90s."

Mr Kay's comments have been picked up by US Democrats, who have attacked President Bush over the intelligence used in the run-up to war.

Leading Democrat Tom Daschle called for a full review of the US government's actions leading up to the war.

Democrat presidential hopeful John Kerry accused the White House of misleading the American people about the true status of Iraq's weapons.

Meanwhile, in Britain, Prime Minister Tony Blair is facing one of the toughest weeks of his career as he awaits the release of the Hutton Inquiry report on Wednesday.

The inquiry has investigated the death of weapons expert David Kelly, who was named as the suspected source of a BBC report claiming the government "sexed up" a dossier on the threat from Iraq.

Mr Blair told the inquiry at the time that, if the central allegation that he spun Britain into war was sustained, he would have to quit.

He has also suggested that if Lord Hutton finds him personally responsible for the process that led to the naming of Dr Kelly, his position will be untenable.