The failure to find chemical or biological weapons in Iraq has put the Bush administration on the defensive amid sharp questions over whether it exaggerated the threat in making its case for war.

"I have no doubt but that the intelligence was done in this country and other countries, and which we have watched become richer and fuller over the years, will end up proving to be correct," Rumsfeld told reporters traveling with him from Washington.

"All of our intelligence agencies were in broad agreement, with some differences of course, but they were all shown or elevated in the national intelligence estimates," he said.

"Any presentation or allegations that the intelligence was in any way put aside is false on its face," he said.

A Defense Intelligence Agency report said in September there was "no reliable information" that Iraq was producing and stockpiling chemical weapons.

The report's finding was disclosed only last week, further fueling charges that the administration used intelligence selectively to support its case.

The questions are shadowing Rumsfeld as he embarks on a four-day trip to Europe that will include meetings with NATO defense ministers in Brussels later this week.

The US-led invasion of Iraq unleashed bitter disputes within the alliance as Germany and France openly sided against Washington.

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