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United States insists Iraq still a weapons threat
From Correspondent Jeanne Meserve
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Iraq claims there is no need for United Nations weapon inspections because it has destroyed all of its weapons of mass destruction.
Experts on Iraq's weapons program, however, disagree.
Indeed, American officials fear that unless Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is monitored and kept from having free rein over his weapons arsenal, he could potentially kill millions of people.
Among the fears are that Iraq could build a nuclear bomb in one or two years; rebuild its ballistic missile force within one year; or deploy chemical and biological weapons within weeks.
The biggest concern is the possibility that Iraq would develop biological weapons, such as anthrax. Just 220 pounds of spores could kill as many people as a one megaton hydrogen bomb. If untreated, anthrax -- fatal 80 percent of the time -- causes death within days.
Another possible biological agent is botulinum toxin, which is the most toxic agent known to science. It causes paralysis and death within 36 hours.
During the Persian Gulf War, Saddam had these and other biological agents loaded in warheads and bombs. U.N. inspectors say his claims of having destroyed them are largely unsubstantiated.
"Biology is a very, very black hole for us," said Richard Butler, the head of the U.N.'s weapon inspections program. "Iraq has never really given us anything like the whole truth on it."
Also troubling is the fact that Saddam used chemical weapons with devastating effect in the 1980s against both his own Kurdish minority and the Iranians.
Today, 700 artillery rounds filled with mustard gas are unaccounted for, and U.S. officials also believe Saddam has VX, the most advanced chemical warfare agent known. It can be absorbed through the skin, which means even a gas mask will not provide protection.
A minute amount of VX can paralyze; death is almost immediate.
And while Iraq's known nuclear production facilities have been destroyed, American officials believe Saddam has the know-how to build a nuclear bomb -- lacking only the fuel.
During the war, Iraq launched scud missiles, which could be used to deliver nuclear, biological or chemical payloads. While the United Nations says Iraq only has two such missiles left, U.S. officials believe Saddam may have a couple of dozen tucked away -- and could build more.
"You have to look at the Iraqis as a big weapon-of-mass-destruction threat," says arms proliferation expert Gary Milhollin.
And U.S. officials say the only way to contain that threat is with U.N. sanctions and inspections.
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