Judging The Case

MAP: UK, FRANCE, ITALY, IRAQ

EXHIBIT A: DENIAL, DECEPTION AND DOUBTS

·POWELL'S CASE:U.S. spy satellites have caught apparent "housecleaning" efforts before visits by U.N. inspectors at "close to 30" suspected chemical- and biological-weapons sites. In addition, Powell cited communications intercepts of Republican Guard officers worrying that U.N. inspectors might find banned items.
·THE BOTTOM LINE:Saddam is notorious for his duplicity. Nevertheless, the last-minute cleanups don't prove he was hiding banned weapons. "We don't know precisely what Iraq was moving," Powell admitted. The intercepts clearly refer to stray items, not big caches. And the Iraqis are disputing the English translations provided by the U.S. State Department.

MAP: IRAQ (With location of Taji)

WITH TAMARA LIPPER, MICHAEL ISIKOFF, MARK HOSENBALL, JOHN BARRY AND CHRISTOPHER DICKEY

© 2003