Carter rejects US claims on Cuban weapons
Tuesday, 14 May 2002 14:55The former American president, Jimmy Carter, who is on a visit to Cuba, has said there is no evidence that the communist state is exporting technology that could be used in weapons of mass destruction.
He made his comments on a visit to a bio-technology laboratory in the capital, Havana.
President Fidel Castro had invited Mr Carter to view the site after comments by the American Secretary of State, Colin Powell, who alleged that Cuba was using it to develop biological weapons and passing the technology on to what he called rogue states.
However Mr Carter said American intelligence experts had denied the allegations in briefings before his trip, saying there was no evidence linking Cuba to the export of biological weaponry. He suggested Washington's allegations were designed to cast a shadow over his landmark goodwill visit.
Cuba says the facility is dedicated to making medicine and vaccines sold to many nations and denies it had any program to make biological weapons.
