US Secretary of State Colin Powell has pledged to provide 'straightforward, sober and compelling' proof this week that Iraq is hiding banned weapons in violation of United Nations demands.
Mr Powell said, in an opinion piece published in today's Wall Street Journal, that there was still no 'smoking gun'. He promised Washington would bridge differences with sceptical allies over Iraq and fully consult its partners before any decision to go to war.
A peaceful outcome was still possible, he said, if Iraqi President Saddam Hussein switched course and co-operated with UN experts hunting for Baghdad's weapons of mass destruction.
Mr Powell did not say what sort of evidence he would hand the Security Council on Wednesday. But, in an attempt to pre-empt the presentation, the head of Iraq's arms monitoring body, Hussam Mohammad Amin, said yesterday he expected it would be forged photographs.
