![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
![]() |
You are in: World: Middle East | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
![]() |
Sunday, 25 February, 2001, 12:40 GMT
Iraq 'could build N-bomb'
![]() UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in 1998
Iraq could produce nuclear weapons within three years, according to a German intelligence assessment.
The report also says the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) has evidence that Baghdad is working to develop its short-range rockets.
Details of the information contained in the report was published in various German newspapers following a briefing to journalists by BND officials. "It is clear that we have suspicions about Iraq," a BND official told Reuters news agency. Ceasefire agreement The intellegence agency believes that Iraq has resumed efforts to build chemical and biological weapons since UN inspectors left the country in 1998. But it says that Baghdad currently possesses only 10-20% of the conventional weapons it had during the Gulf War. Under the ceasefire agreement which ended the 1991 Gulf War, Iraq was obliged to end its chemical and biological weapons capacity. The United Nations team appointed to monitor Baghdad's compliance with the agreement left Iraq in 1998 after the government ceased co-operation with the weapons inspectors. The BND says it has evidence to suggest the following:
There has been no response to the report from Iraq. But US Secretary of State Colin Powell referred to it during his tour of the Mid-east. He told a news conference in Jerusalem that it underlined the need to contain Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. "We have to make sure he is denied the opportunity to continue moving in this direction," Mr Powell said. |
![]() |
See also:
![]() Internet links:
![]() The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites Top Middle East stories now:
![]() ![]() Links to more Middle East stories are at the foot of the page.
![]() |
![]() |
Links to more Middle East stories
|
![]() |
![]() |
^^ Back to top News Front Page | World | UK | UK Politics | Business | Sci/Tech | Health | Education | Entertainment | Talking Point | In Depth | AudioVideo ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To BBC Sport>> | To BBC Weather>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- © MMIII | News Sources | Privacy |