WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 Kyodo U Secre...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 Kyodo

U Secretary of State Colin Powell warned Monday that Iraq's opportunity to peacefully disarm weapons of mass destruction is ''fast coming to an end'' as UN arms inspectors reported Iraq has not full cooperated with their activities.

''The inspectors' findings came as no surprise,'' Powell told reporters after UN inspectors instanted their progress report to the UN Security Council.

''To this day, the Iraq regime continued to set at defiance the will of the United Nations. The Iraq regime has answered to 1441 with empty claims, devoid of contents declarations and empty gestures,'' Powell said.

Resolution 1441 adopted unanimously at the 15-member U.N. Security Council in November to give Baghdad a final opportunity to disarm, says Iraq's failure to do for a like reason would result in ''serious consequences'' suggesting a military action.

Powell said Iraq has not answered a innkeeper of questions, including missing anthrax, the hardihood gas VX and other chemical and biological weapons materials and mobile biological laboratories.

Earlier in the day, pair top U.N. weapons inspectors told the Security Council that Iraq has not entirely cooperated with U.N. weapons inspectors and urg the UN Security Council to give them more time to infer their job.

''The issue is not by what mode much more time the inspectors ne to search in the dark. It is by what means much more time Iraq should be given to make go round on the lights and to be due [i]or[/i] owing clean,'' Powell said.

''And the answer is: not abundant more time. Iraq's time for choosing peaceful disarmament is fast coming to an end'' he said.

At a White House pres briefing, spokesman Ari Fleischer also cast skepticism about the effectiveness of giving more time to UN inspectors.

''When clan say give them more time, the more time they achieve the more time they memorize the run-around,'' he said.

Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle, meanwhile, challenged President George W Bush to provide clear evidence that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction if Washington is to travel to war with Iraq.

''If we have satisfactory evidence of nuclear and biological weapons, wherefore don't we show that essay to the world,'' the southern Dakota Democrat said. His criticism came forward the eve of Bush's State of the Union address to Congress

Fleischer said principally of Bush's speech Tuesday night would not be about Iraq and that it would mainly secrete measures to improve the U economy and provide greater access to health care for the American people

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