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 to the full cooperated with their activities.

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

''To this day, the Iraq regime continued to slight the will of the United Nations. The Iraq regime has answered to 1441 with empty claims, without contents declarations and empty gestures,'' Powell said.

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

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

Earlier in the day, brace top U.N. weapons inspectors told the Security Council that Iraq has not largely cooperated with U.N. weapons inspectors and urg the UN Security Council to give them more time to bring to an end their job.

''The issue is not to what extent much more time the inspectors ne to search in the dark. It is in what way much more time Iraq should be given to employ on the lights and to take rise clean,'' Powell said.

''And the answer is: not greatly 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 the public say give them more time, the more time they commit to memory the more time they secure 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 pass to war with Iraq.

''If we have test of nuclear and biological weapons, wherefore don't we show that trial 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 veil measures to improve the U economy and provide greater access to health care for the American people

COPYRIGHT 2003 Kyodo recently made knowns International, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group