The Iraqi press has recently addressed the accusations that it is still trying to produce weapons of mass destruction by denying that it has any such weapons. At the same time, however, Iraq defends its right to have them and threatens that it will attain such weapons, even covertly.
The Iraqi government daily al-Thawra stated that Iraq will endlessly repeat its claim that the country is free of weapons of mass destruction. Iraq does so, the article insists, ?not to appease Little Bush, but to reflect our adherence to our promises and commitments.? In any event, the article continues, ?Iraq does not have the equipment and components to manufacture them?? Citing the accusations of US Secretary of State Colin Powell and US President George W. Bush, al-Thawra called ?[a]nyone who says differently? either an agitator like Little Bush or a double-dealer like his followers??
On the other hand, another al-Thawra editorial was quoted in the daily Babil, whose owner and editor-in-chief is Saddam's son Uday Hussein, asserting that Iraq has a right to weapons of mass destruction to deter ?the Zionist threat.? The editorial called the possession of such weapons ?a right of self-defense and a necessity of national security?? Calling it a ?double standard,? Babil echoed al-Thawra in condemning American and European permissiveness in allowing ?the Zionist entity to possess all types of weapons of mass destruction, but? not allow[ing] the Arabs the same?? However, the Iraqi paper stated, nobody will ?manage to stop the Arabs from accomplishing this goal [of attaining weapons of mass destruction] in the future, whether covertly or overtly.?
The Iraqi government daily al-Thawra stated that Iraq will endlessly repeat its claim that the country is free of weapons of mass destruction. Iraq does so, the article insists, ?not to appease Little Bush, but to reflect our adherence to our promises and commitments.? In any event, the article continues, ?Iraq does not have the equipment and components to manufacture them?? Citing the accusations of US Secretary of State Colin Powell and US President George W. Bush, al-Thawra called ?[a]nyone who says differently? either an agitator like Little Bush or a double-dealer like his followers??
On the other hand, another al-Thawra editorial was quoted in the daily Babil, whose owner and editor-in-chief is Saddam's son Uday Hussein, asserting that Iraq has a right to weapons of mass destruction to deter ?the Zionist threat.? The editorial called the possession of such weapons ?a right of self-defense and a necessity of national security?? Calling it a ?double standard,? Babil echoed al-Thawra in condemning American and European permissiveness in allowing ?the Zionist entity to possess all types of weapons of mass destruction, but? not allow[ing] the Arabs the same?? However, the Iraqi paper stated, nobody will ?manage to stop the Arabs from accomplishing this goal [of attaining weapons of mass destruction] in the future, whether covertly or overtly.?