U.N. 'Not Satisfied' With Iraqi Answers

Six weeks after the U.N. renewed its search for Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction, chief inspector Hans Blix delivered an interim report that was probably the most the Iraqis could have hoped for, reports CBS News National Security Correspondent David Martin.

"In the course of these inspections we have not found any smoking gun," Blix said Thursday.

But Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei, who heads the International Atomic Energy Agency, said Iraq's 12,000-page weapons declaration left many questions unanswered and Baghdad has not responded to calls for new information. They said they will fly to Baghdad on Jan. 19-20 to raise these issues with Iraqi officials.

"We are not satisfied," Blix said. "The declaration regrettably has not helped very much to clarify any question marks of the past."

The United States said the inspectors' briefing to the U.N. Security Council supported Washington's contention that Baghdad is actively concealing its biological, chemical or nuclear weapons.

"The problem with guns that are hidden is you can't see their smoke," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said. "We know for a fact that there are weapons there."

Briefing the Security Council for a second time in three weeks on the Iraqi dossier and the progress of inspections, Blix and ElBaradei said their teams need more time and more intelligence from U.N. members to help their search.

Both said the inspections that resumed two months ago after a four-year halt have so far found no evidence that Iraq had clandestine weapons programs. Iraq says all its weapons have been destroyed.

"The absence of a smoking gun and the prompt access which we have had so far, and which is most welcome, is no guarantee that prohibited stocks or activities could not exist at other sites, whether above ground, underground or in mobile units," Blix told the council.

The inspections resumed Nov. 27 under a toughened U.N. resolution that, among other measures, allows inspectors to interview Iraqi scientists in private or even abroad, in a bid to encourage them to expose hidden programs.

ElBaradei complained Thursday that inspectors haven't been able to talk to scientists without Iraqi officials being present. "That does not show the proactive cooperation we seek," he said.

Blix told the council that Iraq has not made a "serious effort" to respond to his request for the names of Iraqi scientists who were involved in weapons of mass destruction programs.

In Baghdad, Gen. Hossam Mohammed Amin, the chief Iraqi liaison officer to the inspection teams, said that a U.N. inspector had raised the possibility — without making a formal request — of taking Iraqi scientists to Cyprus for questioning. He said scientists could decide for themselves whether to go but that they were expected to refuse.

Blix told reporters earlier that he hadn't heard of such a request but planned to conduct interviews in Baghdad next week.

U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte said the United States expected inspectors "to begin out-of-country interviews."

"The burden remains on Iraq to demonstrate compliance," Negroponte said, adding that inspectors are there to "verify Iraqi disarmament, not to serve as detectives working to overcome elaborate concealment mechanisms."

During Blix's briefing to the Security Council, he said Iraq had admitted in its weapons declaration to importing missile engines and raw material for the production of solid missile fuel. "This import has taken place in violation of the relevant resolutions regulating import and export to Iraq."

ElBaradei said inspectors were investigating what happened to 32 tons of HMX high explosive that Iraq says was turned into industrial explosive but which can also be used to detonate nuclear weapons.

Blix said Thursday the Iraq's weapons declaration "failed to answer a great many questions" and that Baghdad has replied to his requests since for the answers. "Iraq may have more to say. I hope so," he said.

The United States and Britain have said they have intelligence showing that Baghdad has banned weapons, and Blix has previously asked for any information to help the search.

Asked whether inspectors were getting significant intelligence from the United States, Blix said: "Well, we are getting intelligence from several sources ... it's clear that this will be helpful in the future to us."

"As more intelligence comes in, there will be more sites visited. I'm confident that we will get more intelligence," he said.

The inspectors are to give a formal report on Iraq's compliance on Jan. 27.

Denis Halliday, a former U.N. official in Baghdad for talks with Iraqi leaders, says the increasing pressure on the inspectors, may do more harm than good, reports CBS News Correspondent Lee Cowan.

"I think they're in to a no-win situation here, frankly," says Halliday. "I think if they find something, Iraq will be held responsible. If they don't find something, Washington will not be happy."