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Powell to detail al Qaeda travels in IraqBut secretary of state will not suggest alliance exists
From John King
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Secretary of State Colin Powell will detail al Qaeda travels in and out of Iraq when he addresses the U.N. Security Council Wednesday, but will not suggest that a formal alliance between the two exists, administration officials told CNN Tuesday. Powell will also present evidence showing al Qaeda contacts with Iraq, but his overwhelming focus will be on what the White House believes it can prove is Iraq's deception during the current U.N. inspections. And Powell will detail how Iraq has left stockpiles of its weapons unaccounted for, officials said. The officials said some decisions were still being reviewed but that the presentation is certain to include: • Satellite photographs of material being moved from sites just before visits from U.N. inspections teams • Intercepts of conversations in which U.S. officials say Iraqis talk about concealing evidence from inspectors and about coaching scientists on how to answer inspectors' questions • Intelligence detailing Iraqi imports of banned weapons materials as recently as the past month or so Powell will give a multimedia presentation with video, slides and audiotapes. One official described the presentation as a narrative full of "stories with sub-plots," and said Powell may wear a wireless microphone so that he can stand up and move around as he speaks. (Full story). How much to emphasize links between Iraq and al Qaeda has been a point of debate during discussions of Powell's presentation. Aides believe demonstrating strong ties would help make the case for military action, but there is disagreement within the administration over how strong a case can be made based on existing U.S. intelligence. Powell, according to two sources, is wary of going too far and leaving his entire presentation open to credibility questions. While the materials were still being reviewed Tuesday, Powell deputy Richard Armitage suggested in Senate testimony that U.S. intelligence showed "some intersections" between Iraq and terrorist groups. "I don't want to overstate it," Armitage said. Officials consider declassifying materialPreparations for the presentation included marathon debate sessions over whether pieces of U.S. intelligence should be declassified for release to the Security Council. In some cases, Powell has asked for materials to be declassified, and conversations about how to handle sensitive materials stretched late into the night Monday at the White House. They continued Tuesday as the presentation was being fine-tuned. The administration has not committed to seeking a second Security Council resolution. But the goal after Powell's presentation is to gauge support for a new resolution that would: • Declare that Iraq failed to keep its commitment to honor Security Council Resolution 1441, and set a deadline for Iraqi compliance • Give the U.N.'s blessing for military action if the deadline passes Senior U.S. officials said the date of any deadline in a new resolution has not been determined but that it would have to be within the next several weeks. Chief weapons inspector Hans Blix is slated to brief the council February 14, and one senior official said "the days immediately after Dr. Blix" will be critical in determining whether the Bush administration will continue to work through the Security Council on Iraq. President Bush called Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss Iraq, and officials said the conversation included a summary of what Powell will present to the council. U.S. officials said they have received no commitments from Moscow but described "a general optimism" that Russia, which wields veto power on the Security Council, and the United States will agree on how to proceed. Powell was meeting with China's U.N. diplomats on Tuesday; Beijing also has veto power on the council. France is another major focus. Bush and President Jacques Chirac briefly discussed Iraq during a phone call last weekend. British Prime Minister Tony Blair conferred with Chirac on Tuesday. The French leader said he would listen closely to the Powell presentation but also said he considers war "the worst of all solutions" and that he believed the U.N. weapons inspectors deserved more time to carry out their work. CNN.com's Iraq Tracker has further developments in the standoff with Iraq.
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