U.S. officials, UN personnel, and other independent experts
have long said that Saddam Hussein's Iraq had not accounted for large
quantities of chemical and biological agents and delivery means -
hundreds of tons of CW, thousands of liters of BW agents such as
anthrax, and thousands of specially designed shells and bombs. All of
these estimates were taken from UN inspection reports - cited not just
by the United States but also by UN inspectors prior to the conflict.
If Saddam Hussein could have accounted for these materials,
it's reasonable to suppose that he would have done so, rather than risk
his regime, his fortune, and possibly his life.
We continue to look for chemical and biological weapons and
agents. This is a process that will take a major effort and a lot of
time - similar in approach to an organized crime investigation.
We are interviewing scientists and recovering documents.
The process of identifying and verifying WMD is complicated and
lengthy because the Iraqi regime designed these programs to deceive.
The U.S. government has always expected the disarmament of Iraq to be a
difficult and lengthy process.