"The evidence that we had... was that Saddam had failed to account for substantial elements of a biological and chemical weapons programme that we suspected were in weaponised form," John Bolton, the under-secretary of state for arms control and international security, told the BBC.

"Whether they were in weaponised form or not is really not the issue. The issue is that the regime that had a pattern of trying to get and use these weapons... has now been eliminated."

He added: "The argument that was made by some people who were opposed to the war was that we had to demonstrate an imminent threat of the use of weapons of mass destruction. And that was not the basis on which we made the argument."

Interviewed by BBC television during a visit to London, Bolton said: "It's too soon to say that we are not going to find the weapons.

"Even the interim report by David kay shows the capacity to recreate those weapons at fairly short notice."

Kay, the head of the US team of 1,200 experts scouring Iraq for weapons of mass destruction, reported to the US Congress last week that he found none of the nuclear, biological or chemical weapons that President George W. Bush said Saddam had and were an imminent danger to the world.

The threat from these weapons had been cited in Washington as the main reason for the US-led war launched in March that toppled the Iraqi leader.

Bolton told the BBC: "The elimination of the Saddam Hussein regime, which was committed to reaquiring weapons of mass destruction, not only eliminates that threat for good and all, but sends a signal that the international community is not going to tolerate rogue regimes getting weapons of mass destruction.

"A major potential source of weapons of mass destruction and support for terrorist groups around the world has been eliminated."

Bolton added: "Eliminating that kind of regime by definition makes the world safer."

WAR.WIRE