“the truth is the weapons probably haven't been there for quite a long time," Cook

BAGHDAD, May 29 (Islamonline.net & News Agencies) - Former British foreign secretary Robin Cook called Wednesday, May 29, for an inquiry after the United States said Iraqi forces may have destroyed the country's alleged weapons of mass destruction before war broke out.

"If (U.S. Defense Secretary) Donald Rumsfeld is now admitting the weapons are not there, the truth is the weapons probably haven't been there for quite a long time," Cook, who resigned from the government over the war, told the BBC.

Cook's appeal came as London and Washington appeared to be uttering mixed messages on Iraq's alleged chemical and biological weapons, on which Britain, the United States and Spain pinned their case for war.

Asked why the weapons were not used, Rumsfeld told the Council on Foreign Relations in New York late Tuesday, May 27, that the Iraqis may have been caught off-guard by the speed of the U.S. assault.

"It is also possible that they decided they would destroy them, prior to a conflict. I don't know the answer," he said.

No Nuclear Activity

on March 7, Chief U.N. arms inspector Hans Blix confirmed in his report to the U.N. security Council on the inspection that Baghdad had speeded up cooperation with his disarmament teams, adding that inspections process would take months.

Blix said that there was no proof Iraq had been hiding banned weapons in mobile laboratories to turn them away form inspectors' eyes or even underground chemical or biological production or storage facilities.

"Several inspections have taken place ... in relation to mobile production facilities, . . no evidence of proscribed activities has so far been found", asserted the chief U.N. inspector.

Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Mohamed ElBaradei, asserted  On his report to U.N. on March 7 that allegations Iraq had tried to acquire uranium from the African nation of Niger were false.

The IAEA chief said his agency had determined that documents said by the United States and Britain to support the allegations were fraudulent.

"Based on thorough analysis, the IAEA has concluded, with the concurrence of outside experts, that these documents -- which formed the basis for the reports of these uranium transactions between Iraq and Niger -- are, in fact, not authentic," he confirmed.

ElBaradei also told the Security Council that there was no evidence whatsoever that Iraq was undertaking nuclear activities or reviving nuclear programs.

"Inspectors had found no indication of nuclear-related prohibited activities at any inspected site," he said.

There is no sign that Iraq rebuilt nuclear institutions unlike what satellite pictures reportedly revealed or that institutions earlier inspected have developed any nuclear plans, he said.