A rchive Date
[ 04-05-2003 ]
Category
[ International Relations ]
sub-Categoy
[ U.S ]
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[http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/topstory/1894921
Bush confident U.S. will find banned weapons inside Iraq
Associated Press
May 3, 2003, 2:22PM
CRAWFORD -- President Bush expressed unshakable confidence today that banned weapons will be found in Iraq and complained that Tariq Aziz, one of Saddam Hussein's closest deputies, is not cooperating with U.S. forces who have him in custody.
Bush said the deputy prime minister, the most visible face of the former Iraqi government other than Saddam's, "still doesn't know how to tell the truth."
The president, at a news conference on his ranch with visiting Australian Prime Minister John Howard, predicted the United States will locate the suspected cache of biological and chemical weapons.
"Iraq's the size of the state of California," he said. "It's got tunnels, caves, all kinds of complexes. We'll find them, and it's just going to be a matter of time to do so."
Aziz surrendered to U.S. forces on April 24, after the collapse of Baghdad. U.S. officials had hoped that Aziz, who made Saddam's case before the world when Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, could provide information about the deposed president's whereabouts and Iraq's weapons. But Bush said Aziz was not cooperating.
"We're learning, for example, that Tariq Aziz still doesn't know how to tell the truth," Bush said. "He didn't know how to tell the truth when he was in office; he doesn't know how to tell the truth as a captive."
With a growing number of Iraqi leaders in custody, American intelligence agents are able to check a prisoner's claims against others, officials said. They said the United States has a growing body of documents that help verify responses from Aziz and other captured leaders.
Bush expressed confidence that the United States will learn what it needs from lower-ranking officials and ordinary citizens.
Referring to the deck of cards of wanted Iraqis, Bush said, "It may not be the aces, kings, queens and jacks that do the talking; it may be those who are carrying the water for the aces, kings, queens and jacks that do the talking."
Bush and Howard met after a private dinner Friday night and talked into Saturday morning.
At the news conference, both leaders took turns praising the other.
"The prime minister is a man of courage," Bush said. "He understands the responsibilities of freedom. America is really grateful for the sacrifices of the Australian people and the leadership of Prime Minister John Howard."
Howard praised Bush's leadership, "at times under very great criticism."
He continued: "What was achieved in Iraq was quite extraordinary. The United States, I think, has sent a very important message not only to the region but to the rest of the world."
Bush said he hoped to complete a free trade agreement with Australia by the end of the year and have Congress ratify it in 2004.
Howard supported Bush in the Iraq war despite sharp opposition at home, and the president was paying off the IOU by playing host at his Texas ranch.
Bush picked up Howard and his wife, Janette, in northern California on Friday as they traveled through the region. Dining together on the ranch in Crawford, the Bushes and Howards ate smoked beef tenderloin, grilled okra and green chili cheese grits -- the last item a Bush favorite.
Howard got the full ranch treatment, including a ride to the news conference in Bush's white pickup truck. The two men's wives accompanied them from the back seat, as did the Bushes' Scottish terrier, Barney.
What Howard didn't get, however, was an afternoon of fishing in Bush's stocked pond. Bush said he regretted that the prime minister opted for a nap instead.
Hay bales, a brewing storm and the loud chirping of birds added plenty of central Texas ambiance to the joint appearance.
But it was Barney who threatened to steal the show. The Scottie snuffled around the gravel at their feet, then decided that nuzzling his master's leg would be his main occupation. As an oblivious Howard spoke of weighty matters of state, the dog's antics had Bush, and the assembled journalists, struggling to hold back laughter.
"Barney, stop showing off," Bush said.
Howard's decision to send forces to Iraq ignited mass protests across Australia, with hundreds of thousands attending peace rallies in major cities. In March, after Howard committed troops to the coming war, he was forced to leave his official residence on foot when antiwar protesters barricaded the entrances.
Eventually, the numbers at antiwar demonstrations dwindled to tens of thousands, and Howard's popularity soared.
 World Fact Book (CIA)]
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