Washington: US President George W Bush on March 8 said Iraqi regime was playing
a "shell game" with the UN arms inspectors and warned that "if Saddam Hussein does
not disarm peacefully, he will be disarmed by force".
"Iraqi operatives continue to play a shell game with inspectors, moving suspected
prohibited materials to different locations every 12 to 24 hours. And Iraqi weapons
scientists continue to be threatened with harm should they co-operate in interviews
with UN inspectors," Bush said in his weekly radio address to the nation.
"These are not the actions of a regime that is disarming. These are the actions of a
regime engaged in a wilful charade," the US President said.
"Inspection teams do not need more time, or more personnel, all they need is what
they have never received, the full co-operation of the Iraqi regime. The only
acceptable outcome is the outcome already demanded by a unanimous vote of the
Security Council - total disarmament," he said.
The Iraqi President has a long history of "reckless aggression and terrible crimes",
Bush said.
Accusing Iraq of possessing weapons of terror and providing funds, training and safe
haven to terrorists who would willingly deliver weapons of mass destruction against
US and other peace-loving countries, he said, "We will not wait to see what
terrorists or terror states could do with weapons of mass destruction."
"We are determined to confront threats wherever they arise. And, as a last resort,
we must be willing to use military force," he added.
PTI
