Briefing by Rumsfeld and White House spokesman
RUMSFELD LOOTING White House Pentagon briefings on Iraq
APTN
Washington DC August 20, 2002
1. Rumsfeld walking into Pentagon briefing room
2. SOUNDBITE (English) US Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld
"What I have said is a fact: that there are al-Qaida in a number of locations in Iraq and the suggestion that those people who are so attentive in denying human rights to their population aren't aware of where these folks are or what they're doing is ludicrous."
3. Cutaways
4. SOUNDBITE (English) US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
"In a vicious, repressive dictatorship that exercises near total control over its population, it's very hard to imagine that the government is not aware of what's taking place in the country."
POOL
Crawford, Texas August 20, 2002
5. Fleischer walking into press briefing room
6. SOUNDBITE (English) White House Spokesman Ari Fleischer
"It continues to underscore the heart of the war against terrorism is that these terrorists are trying to re-group, trying to get back in other places, and we will use whatever means the president deems appropriate to prevent them from being able to re-group, and we will work in concert with people around the world, as we've done in other places where you've seen them trying to bunch up and get back together."
7. Cutaway of press, pan over to Fleischer
8. SOUNDBITE (English) White House Spokesman Ari Fleischer
"But in pursuit of America's policy within international law of regime change, it is not acceptable to have takeovers of other nations' embassies. That is not consistent with the rule of law and that is why we have an unequivocal position that this action is unacceptable, even against a regime that is as evil as Iraq's."
STORYLINE:
American officials on Tuesday claimed that Islamic extremists may have tested chemical or biological weapons at a small facility in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq.
But the administration officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said US officials decided it was not enough of a threat to justify taking military action.
The administration officials said the group, known as Ansar al-Islam, remained a serious concern, in part because of indications they were connected to the al-Qaida terrorist network.
The officials added that American intelligence agencies had reason to suspect that the facility, in a part of northern Iraq not controlled by President Saddam Hussein's government, was a kind of laboratory for chemical and biological weapons activity that included testing on barnyard animals and at least one man.
But they said monitoring of the facility showed that it was not a sophisticated, organised operation.
Asked about the situation at a Pentagon news conference, Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld refused to comment beyond saying there were al-Qaida members in Iraq.
Rumsfeld would also not comment on Ansar al-Islam or suggestions that it had a relationship to Saddam.
But he indicated he doubted reports Saddam was unaware of what Ansar a-Islam had been doing there.
Meanwhile, speaking from Crawford, Texas, White House Spokesman Ari Fleischer said the situation underscored the importance of the campaign on terrorism.
Fleischer also commented on Tuesday's Iraqi embassy takeover in Berlin, Germany, condemning the Iraqi dissidents who seized the building to press for the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.
He told reporters the US had no prior knowledge of - and no contacts with - the dissidents who nonetheless shared Bush's goal of ousting Saddam's regime in Iraq.
