2A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, October 7, 2004 NATION/WORLD Inspector: NEWS IN BRIEF 8~ No proof of MWMS after 1991 WASHINGTON (AP) - Contradict- ing the main argument for a war that has cost more than 1,000 American lives, the top U.S. arms inspector said yesterday he found no evidence that Iraq produced any weapons of mass destruc- tion after 1991. He also concluded that Saddam Hussein's capabilities to devel- op such weapons had dimmed - not grown - during a dozen years of sanc- tions before last year's U.S. invasion. Contrary to prewar statements by President Bush and top administration officials, Saddam did not have chemi- cal and biological stockpiles when the war began and his nuclear capabilities were deteriorating, not advancing, said Charles Duelfer, head of the Iraq Survey Group. Meanwhile, in Iraq a suicide car bomber plowed into an Iraqi military checkpoint yesterday, killing 16 Iraqis and wounding about 30, as U.S. and Iraqi forces sealed off roads south of the capital in a campaign to curb the insur- gency before January's elections. There were hopeful signs, however, that talks may produce a cease-fire agreement with a Shiite militia head- ed by radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr - although residents of his stronghold Sadr City reported explosions in the area late yesterday. The bombing and the findings of the Iraq Survey Group's report come less than four weeks before an election in which Bush's handling of Iraq has become the central issue. Democratic candidate John Kerry has seized on comments by the former U.S. admin- istrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, that the United States did not have enough troops in Iraq to prevent lawlessness after Saddam was toppled. The inspector's report could boost Kerry's contention that Bush rushed to war based on faulty intelligence and that United Nations sanctions and U.N. weapons inspectors should have been given more time. But Duelfer also supports Bush's argu- ment that Saddam remained a threat. Interviews with the toppled leader and other former Iraqi officials made clear that Saddam had not lost his ambition to pursue weapons of mass destruction and hoped to revive his weapons program if U.N. sanc- tions were lifted, his report said. "What is clear is that Saddam retained his notions of use of force, and had expe- riences that demonstrated the utility of WMD," Duelfer told Congress. Campaigning in Pennsylvania, Bush defended the decision to invade. "There was a risk, a real risk, that Sad- dam Hussein would pass weapons or materials or information to terrorist net- works," Bush said in a speech in Wilkes Barre, Pa. "In the world after Sept. 11, that was a risk we could not afford to take." But a top Democrat in Congress, Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, said Duelfer's findings undercut the two main argu- ments for war: that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction and that he would share them with terrorists like al-Qaida. "We did not go to war because Sad- dam had future intentions to obtain weapons of mass destruction," said Levin, ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Under questioning from Levin, Duelfer said his report found that alumi- num tubes suspected of being used for enriching uranium for use in a nuclear bomb were likely destined for conven- tional rockets and that there is no evi- dence Iraq sought uranium abroad after 1991. Both findings contradict claims made by Bush and other top administra- tion officials before the war. He also found no evidence of trail- ers being used to develop biological weapons, Duelfer said, although he said he couldn't flatly declare that none existed. Traveling in Africa, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said the report shows Saddam was "doing his best" to evade the U.N. sanctions. Duelfer presented his findings in a report of more than 1,000 pages, and in appearances before the Armed Ser- vices Committee and the Senate Intelligence Committee. The report avoids direct compari- sons with prewar claims by the Bush administration on Iraq's weapons sys- tems. But Duelfer largely reinforces the conclusions of his predecessor, David Kay, who said in January, "We were almost all wrong" on Saddam's weapons programs. S. ~ Sg * III . . : BRUSSELS, Belgium EU plans to let Turkey join ranks In a historic move that could extend Europe's borders to the edge of the volatile Middle East, the European Union recommended yesterday setting mostly Muslim Turkey on a course for full membership in the prosperous 25-nation bloc. Reflecting widespread misgivings, however, the 30-member EU executive com- mission set tough conditions to prevent Turkey from backtracking on sweeping democratic and human rights reforms. "This is a qualified yes," said European Commission President Romano Prodi. "Our position is a positive one, but also a prudent, cautious one." French President Jacques Chirac said talks with Turkey could last 10 to 15 years "at a minimum." Such caution reflected unease throughout a prosperous and mostly Christian continent about union with a poorer Muslim nation that could be a source of unwel- come migrants. Many Europeans recall the old Ottoman Empire, seen as a hostile power that once ruled swaths of Europe to the gates of Vienna, Austria, leaving a legacy of corruption in its wake. It is now up to the EU's 25 leaders to approve the recommendation at a summit in December, paving the way for the start of entry talks as early as next year. TEHRAN, Iran -0 Iran says it has processed tons of uranium Iran said yesterday it has processed several tons of raw "yellowcake" uranium to prepare it for enrichment - a key step in developing atomic weapons - in defi- ance of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency. Converting raw uranium into hexafluoride gas does not violate any agreements Iran has made regarding its nuclear program and was done with the full knowledge of the International Atomic Energy Agency. However, it draws Iran and the United States - which quickly voiced its disapproval - closer to a showdown before the U.N. Security Council. The IAEA board of governors specifically demanded last month that Iran stop all enrichment-related activities, and cited the plans to convert raw uranium into hexafluoride gas as particularly alarming. Iran has refused to back down, and its parliament is studying a bill that would require the government to proceed with the enrichment process over any objections. Hossein Mousavian, Iran's chief delegate to the IAEA, would not specify how much hexafluoride gas had been produced, but he said a few tons of raw uranium - also known as yellowcake - had been converted. WASHINGTON Export tax break repeal to end trade dispute A major rewrite of corporate tax law that would end a nasty trade dispute with Europe won approval yesterday from congressional negotiators after House Repub- licans beat back efforts to increase regulation of tobacco. The measure would repeal a tax break for thousands of American export- ers that has been ruled illegal by the World Trade Organization. As a replacement, the proposal offers more than $140 billion in tax breaks for a wide range of businesses, from multinational companies to bow and arrow makers. Fishermen, farmers and taxpayers in seven states that do not have individual state income taxes would also benefit. PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti Aristide loyalists begin Iraq-style rebellion U.N. peacekeepers and Haitian police in armored personnel carriers moved in on a downtown slum, trying to put down a campaign by loyalists of ousted Presi- dent Jean-Bertrand Aristide who have carried out a number of gory beheadings in imitation of Iraqi insurgents. Yesterday morning, the headless body of a man lay in the street in La Salines, a seaside slum facing Port-au-Prince port. An Associated Press Television News cameraman watched a convoy of U.N. peacekeepers drive around the body. No head was in sight. Three police officers were decapitated last week when Aristide supporters launched the guerrilla campaign, dubbed "Operation Baghdad." - Compiled from Daily wire reports I I -77777777 MARKET UPDATE WED. 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