High-ranking US Officials Warn About Threats from Saddam Hussein - 2002-09-09

High-ranking officials of the Bush administration warned on Sunday during discussions with the media about the threat posed by Saddam Hussein and his efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction. Dick Cheney, the Vice President of the United States, in an interview with NBC, noted that the US is tracking Saddam Hussein's efforts and has prevented him from obtaining aluminum tubes that are used in enriching uranium for the production of nuclear bombs. Cheney stated that the Bush administration is becoming increasingly convinced that the US will eventually become a target of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction as Baghdad continuously enhances its military capabilities. Condoleezza Rice, the National Security Advisor at the White House, told CNN that the world should not wait for the Iraqi dictator to use nuclear weapons to prove that he is seeking to acquire them. While President Bush is set to address the issue at the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, Secretary of State Colin Powell told Fox News that the US may unilaterally attack Iraq. However, foreign leaders have warned about creating a rift in the anti-terrorism coalition if an attack on Iraq occurs. The Russian Foreign Minister stated that an attack on Iraq would undermine the global coalition against terrorism.