Iraqi officials challenge U.S. accusations

Aldouri told the U.N. that Iraq had no links with al Qaeda.

At a news conference on Thursday, President Bush said that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had been given a final chance to disarm, but that Saddam was throwing that chance away. The president added that "the game is over" for Iraq. His statement came one day after Secretary of State Colin Powell presented the United Nations with what Washington called evidence against Iraq.

Meanwhile, Iraqi science adviser Amer al-Saadi says U.N. weapons inspectors in Iraq have held a private interview with an Iraqi scientist. Previously, Iraqi officials were present at interviews between U.N. investigators and scientists. The U.N. has asked that inspectors be able to talk to Iraq's scientists alone.

Iraqi officials say the scientist agreed to the talks with U.N. officials because he was concerned about pressure on Iraq. Al-Saadi said that the scientist was "taking a risk. Of course, we don't know what's going to happen."

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Al-Saadi made the announcement at a news conference during which he refuted the latest U.S. statements about Iraq. He called Powell's presentation to the United Nations "a show," and he said it was tailored to U.S. interests.

During the conference, al-Saadi called up some of the satellite pictures of Iraq that Powell used in his presentation. He said there were mistakes in the U.S. photographs.

Powell claimed on Wednesday that satellite photographs showed Baghdad had moved banned materials from Iraqi facilities so that the country could make illegal weapons. But al-Saadi questioned why Powell did not tell U.N. weapons inspectors about the alleged movements so that inspectors could investigate. He called Powell's claim "fiction."

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Another Iraqi official called on weapons inspectors from the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to say that the U.S. accusations against Iraq are lies.

Iraq also denied having links to the al Qaeda terrorist network, though President Bush says Baghdad has helped al Qaeda and at times given its members a place to stay. Iraq's Foreign Ministry spokesman said that Iraqi authorities had been told to "make exceptional efforts" in looking for members of al Qaeda.

Baghdad apparently has given in to U.N. demands to speak privately with Iraqi scientists. However, U.N. officials say that when Hans Blix and Mohammad ElBaradei (the two top weapons inspectors) arrive in Iraq this weekend, they will be expecting Iraqi officials to resolve two other issues: the use of U-2 spy planes over Iraq and the passage of laws that will prohibit companies from making weapons of mass destruction.