The British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, has admitted that Iraq’s alleged stockpiled weapons of mass destruction under Saddam Hussein’s regime may never be found.
Mr Blair told a committee of senior parliamentarians, ‘We know Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction but we know we haven't found them.’
He added that he would have to accept that the weapons might never be found.
Mr Blair persuaded reluctant British politicians to back war on Iraq last year on the basis that Iraq had banned weapons and could use them.
A now notorious dossier, released in September 2002, said some of the weapons could have been deployed within 45 minutes of an order to do so. Yet more than a year after Saddam was toppled, no such weapons have been found. Mr Blair's public trust ratings have dwindled over the same period.
However, Mr Blair said the absence of banned weapons did not mean Saddam did not pose a threat to the region and to world stability. And he said that he was glad that Saddam had been removed from power.
