'Disclaimers' on WMD info

2004-09-13 20:53

Washington - US secretary of state Colin Powell said on Monday some groups within American intelligence knew that sourcing of information used to justify the invasion of Iraq was suspect, but did not inform the authorities.

Before the March 2003 invasion, Powell presented the United Nations with data proclaiming to prove that Iraq was engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction.

The US failure to find weapons of mass destruction has since embarrassed the US administration, damaged its standing around the world and led to sharp criticism of US intelligence community.

Powell had said previously that the information he used as the basis for his landmark speech in the United Nations was "not solid".

'Disclaimers'

On Monday, following questioning by a senate panel, Powell said: "What also distressed me is that there were some in the intelligence community who had knowledge that the sourcing was suspect and that was not known to me."

He said these groups had put out "disclaimers" about some of the sourcing that were not known to the people who were analysing and making conclusions of the information.

Powell supported President George W Bush's call last week for a national intelligence director and said with such a powerful person in charge of US intelligence, "you are less likely to have those kind of mistakes made.

Powell had indicated previously that he might have refrained from recommending a US invasion of Iraq, if he had had proof that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction.

But he said Bush had taken the right decision to launch military action.

- AFP