For Immediate Release
October 7, 2003

Global Message

The weapons of mass destruction progress report by David Kay's team (the Iraqi Survey Group) demonstrates that Saddam Hussein's regime maintained:

A clandestine network of biological laboratories

A live strain of deadly botulinum

Sophisticated concealment efforts

Advanced design work on prohibited longer range missiles.

Saddam's regime was in material breach of the unanimously passed United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441 -- which gave it one last chance to comply with 17 UN resolutions passed over 12 years, or face serious consequences.

The ISG's progress report is not final. Extensive investigation of Saddam's biological, chemical and nuclear weapons programs remains to be done.

The findings of the progress report already make clear that Saddam Hussein actively deceived the international community.

Considering the scope of the investigation, the conditions under which the ISG is working, Iraq's size, and the vast scale of the Saddam's concerted effort to conceal evidence of his WMD programs, the progress of the ISG is remarkable.

The ISG now has unfettered access to sites, documents, and personnel long hidden or intimidated by Saddam's evil regime.