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U.S. Department of State

Daily Press Briefing

QUESTION: I was just asking about the Iraqi progress towards nuclear weapons. There is two reports in the past two years, apparently, that the United States has been told that Iraq is building atomic bombs, at least the nuclear shells, the nuclear weapons without the atomic cores. Can you comment on that?

MR. FOLEY: Well I'm not aware that the United States has been told any such thing. But what I can say in response to your question and the articles is that we are aware of the allegations that Iraq retained weapons-related components, but we cannot confirm these allegations.

There's little doubt, however, that Iraq has sought a nuclear capability and has withheld information and weapons-related items from UN inspectors. That is why we've always supported active UNSCOM and IAEA inspections. Iraq's current refusal to allow these inspections is, as the Security Council agreed unanimously recently, is totally unacceptable.

In terms of the allegation itself, again, it's not something we can confirm; it's important, though, to understand the potential ramifications. Having several components of a warhead does not mean that one necessarily has a usable nuclear weapon. In this regard the IAEA, we're told, feels confident, that Iraq does not have sufficient fissile material or the ability to produce that material for a weapon.

Again, this really underscores our concern about the lack of intrusive UNSCOM and IAEA inspections. The limited ongoing monitoring program can help deter obvious Iraqi attempts to rebuild their WMD capability during this period, but we are very concerned, obviously, about the longer run.

QUESTION: Does the State Department have any of the documents that were mentioned in The Washington Post report that purportedly indicated that Scott Ritter had talked to the CIA about the acquisition of this shell material?

MR. FOLEY: Well, if you've been in this briefing room more than once, you know that we can't comment and do not comment on intelligence matters; nor can we comment and necessarily know about UNSCOM's relationship with other countries, as well. As you know, the Security Council has invited all members to cooperate with UNSCOM and provide information to UNSCOM, and I'd have to refer you to them.

(The briefing concluded at 2:45 P.M.)