Iraq Offers Inspectors 'Unfettered Access'

Sept. 24, 2002 -- An adviser to Saddam Hussein told reporters today that U.N. arms inspectors would have "unfettered access" to any site in Iraq — hours after British Prime Minister Tony Blair unveiled a long-awaited dossier on Iraq's weapons program.

In a press conference in Baghdad, Saddam adviser Amir al-Sa'adi was asked if the weapons inspectors could go wherever they wanted.

"Wherever they want to go," he replied. "This will be the subject of practical arrangement, in order so there's no misunderstanding about the procedures that have to be adopted during inspection. Mr. [Hans] Blix [the United Nation's chief weapons inspector] wants to do this coming here. We are complying."

The remarks came on the same day Blair released a dossier claiming the Iraqi leader has "military plans" to use chemical and biological weapons that could be launched with 45 minutes notice.

The 50-page document also said Iraq was seeking to build a nuclear capability and had tried to acquire significant quantities of uranium, as well as nuclear technology from Africa.

The dossier was based on information from intelligence sources and U.N. weapons inspectors, and was made public hours before Blair convened a special session of Parliament to debate a possible military strike against Iraq.

The international community's failure to act against Saddam, the report maintained, would "risk undermining the authority of the U.N., whose resolutions he defies, but more importantly and in the longer term, we place at risk the lives and prosperity of our own people."

But Iraq immediately dismissed the document as "baseless" and called it evidence that Blair was "acting as part of the Zionist campaign against Iraq."

Iraq has maintained that it has no weapons of mass destruction, but Britain and the United States reject the claim.

Year or Two From ‘Nagasaki-type Bomb’

The dossier comes as a part of a build-up of pressure for action against Iraq. The United States is leading a campaign at the United Nations for a tough new resolution on a country it has labeled part of an "axis of evil."

Although some Bush administration officials have called for a military campaign to bring about a "regime change" in Iraq with or without U.N. backing, Britain has maintained calls for a U.N. resolution to force Saddam to honor his international obligations, which includes demands for Iraqi disarmament.

But addressing Parliament today, Blair called for a "genuine preparedness and planning to take action if diplomacy fails."

Amid skepticism among some U.N. Security Council members over a need for a new resolution, the British dossier made what is believed to be the strongest case yet for military action against Iraq. Providing a detailed history of Iraq's weapons program and an assessment of its current military capabilities, the report said Iraq is between one or two years away from obtaining enough weapons-grade material for a "Nagasaki-type bomb."

Although Iraq agreed to accept U.N. weapons inspectors without conditions earlier this month, the dossier said intelligence shows Iraq is preparing to conceal evidence of its weapons programs before inspectors return.

‘Pulp Fiction’

But even as Blair delivered what he called a strong case for action against Iraq, some British lawmakers criticized the timing of the release of the document, which they said contained no new information.

In an interview with Reuters, British Labor parliamentarian George Galloway said the dossier was "out of date" and dismissed its claims as "pulp fiction."

And even as Blair addressed a crowded special session of Parliament, anti-war protesters outside the building blasted John Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance."

Meanwhile in Washington, Republicans and Democrats promised prompt action and a broad consensus on a resolution authorizing President Bush to use force against Iraq.

However, they continued to debate the proper wording for the resolution. Democrats and at least one prominent Republican expressed reluctance about giving the president all the powers he wants.

House Majority Leader Dick Armey said, "I still remain the toughest sell in this town."

Bush expressed confidence he would receive the powers he needed. "I believe you'll see, as we work to get a strong resolution out of Congress, that a lot of Democrats are willing to take the lead when it comes to keeping the peace," he said.

Battle Plans

Later this week, all members of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff are scheduled to convene at the White House with Bush, the first such meeting in months.

A key part of the Pentagon's plan for war with Iraq would involve U.S. special operations soldiers working temporarily with CIA paramilitary units in Iraq, administration officials said.

One expert said the approach is to prepare the battlefield for the U.S. troops who may follow. The first troops would be "basically working with opposition groups, training, making sure indigenous Iraqi forces will be able to exploit the effects of a U.S. invasion should that come to pass," said Michael Vickers, an analyst with the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.

The United States already has more than 20,000 troops stationed in the region: 9,000 in Kuwait, approximately 6,000 in Saudi Arabia, 3,300 in Qatar, and in Bahrain — home of the Navy's 5th fleet — more than 4,200.

Planned military exercises this fall in Kuwait and Qatar will swell those numbers by thousands. And by December, the U.S. Navy will have three carrier battle groups within striking distance of Iraq.

The buildup is slow but officials say any first strike would be swift. Massive firepower from cruise missiles, fighter jets and bombers would likely begin the mission by taking out anti-aircraft sites before moving on to larger targets.

ABCNEWS' David Wright in London and Martha Raddatz in Washington contributed to this report.