Former UN Weapons Inspector Says Iraq Poses no Threat

PARIS — Former U.N. weapons inspector Scott Ritter said Thursday he was convinced that Saddam Hussein no longer poses a military threat and urged the United States not to wage war against Iraq.

"Iraq does not pose a threat worthy of war," Ritter told reporters in Paris. "America is marching toward war with Iraq that will have horrific consequences, not only for the United States, but for the entire world."

U.S. President George Bush over the weekend reaffirmed his goal of overthrowing the Iraqi leader, saying: "The policy of my government is the removal of Saddam."

British Prime Minister Tony Blair also directed strong words against the Iraqi leader, saying "the world would be a better place without Saddam," and repeated demands that Baghdad readmit U.N. weapons inspectors.

Ritter resigned as a top U.N. weapons inspector in 1998, saying the United States was not aggressive enough in compelling Iraq to disarm. But later, he said he'd quit because he felt the United States was manipulating the U.N. inspection agency for political ends.

Ritter reiterated his contention Thursday that inspectors had "fundamentally disarmed" Iraq by 1996.

"There is nothing left that constitutes either a weapon or a weapons program," Ritter said. "So where is the threat?"

The Bush administration accuses Iraq of developing weapons of mass destruction and sponsoring terror. Bush repeatedly has demanded that Iraq readmit U.N. weapons inspectors unable to work there for almost 3 1/2 years. U.S. officials say the administration is weighing options ranging from diplomatic pressure to possible eventual military strikes.