Powell Defends Intelligence on Iraq Weapon
WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Colin Powell says the intelligence around which the United States built its arguments for war in Iraq "isn't a figment of somebody's imagination," and Iraqi nuclear scientists could hold the key to proving the information is accurate.
In an interview Thursday with The Associated Press, Powell said the Bush administration believes Saddam Hussein had both deadly weapons and programs to develop them. He suggested that the United States would help Iraqi scientists if they share what they know about Saddam's weapons.
"Saddam Hussein kept them together so that if the opportunity ever presented itself, he could create nuclear programs. We want to make sure those scientists are no longer kept together in a cell ... but that they go on to find other things to do," Powell said.