Iraq said on Tuesday the United States had no true evidence to present to the U.N. Security Council and that Washington would provide the world body with nothing but fabrications.
"I do not think that the United States has anything frightening. It will be a repetition of lies," Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan told reporters in brief remarks in Damascus, where he met top officials.
"If they had anything new they would have presented it secretly to the (U.N. arms) inspectors so that they can find it and seize it," he said, according to Reuters.
"By announcing that they have evidence and that they will present it to the Security Council proves they only have lies."
Ramadan, who arrived in the Syrian capital along with Foreign Minister Naji Sabri, reiterated that his country did not object to the use of U-2 high altitude spyplanes in inspections. "The only thing we said is that we cannot be responsible for their safety so long as there are U.S. and British-imposed no-fly zones," he said.
Meanwhile, seven U.S. warships crossed the Suez Canal on Tuesday heading to the Gulf to join the U.S. military buildup in preparation for a possible attack on Iraq.
The seven amphibious ships, based in Norfolk, Va., carry more than 4,750 sailors and 7,000 Marines from the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade. They are the USS Kearsarge, Bataan, Saipan, Ponce, Gunston Hall, Ashland and Portland. ((Albawaba.com)
