US President George W. Bush is "concerned" about omissions and problems in Iraq's declaration to the United Nations on its weapons of mass destruction, the White House said Wednesday.
"The United States takes this matter very seriously, because the president has made clear that Saddam Hussein, that this is his last chance to comply" and avert war, said Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer.
Fleischer would not confirm reports that Bush would declare later this week Iraq to be in "material breach" of a UN disarmament ultimatum. "The president is concerned about omissions in the declaration and about problems in the declaration," Fleischer conveyed.
"The United States will continue to pursue a very deliberative approach in dealing with this issue and the potential consequences of determinations about the Iraqi declaration," the spokesman stated.
Specifically, he said, any declaration that Baghdad is in material breach "would not preclude" continued efforts by UN inspectors scouring Iraq for evidence of any banned weapons systems or programs.
"It's very important that they continue to do what the United Nations Security Council has authorized them to do, which is to continue inspections, to continue to fill the mandate of the Security Council, to use all the tools the Security Council has given to the inspectors so they can determine whether or not Iraq has disarmed," he said.
Asked how Washington had determined that Iraq's information about chemical and biological weapons and missile programs was incomplete, Fleischer indicated that one approach was to compare Baghdad's report to one filed by the United Nations arms inspection team in Iraq (UNSCOM) when it withdrew in 1998.
If UNSCOM detailed weapons systems "that no longer show up on the declaration, that raises questions," said Fleischer.
Meanwhile, a naval force led by the aircraft carrier Ark Royal will head for the Gulf next month, the British defence ministry said, adding that it was looking at "contingency measures" in case of possible military action in Iraq.
The declaration came after Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon said that Britain could join a US-led war on Iraq without explicit approval from parliament.
"HMS Marlborough, HMS Liverpool, with support from (Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship) Fort Victoria, (support tanker) Orange Leaf, and a fleet submarine... will accompany the Ark Royal," to the Gulf and the Indian Ocean, a defence ministry spokesman told AFP. (Albawaba.com)
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