"Solid progress" being made in hunt for banned Iraqi weapons: CIA's Kay

WASHINGTON (AFP) Jul 31, 2003
The CIA's representative overseeing the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq declared Thursday that "solid progress" was being made in the search for the nuclear, chemical and biological arms that provided the justification for the US-led war there.

"We are making solid progress," David Kay told reporters after a closed-door briefing of members of the Senate Armed Services committee.

Kay added, however, that he did not expect deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's alleged weapons program to be uncovered quickly.

"It's going to take time," he said.

"This was a program over 25 years, involving billions of dollars, tens of thousands of people," which was kept under wraps "by security and deception," he added.

Still, the process of locating the weapons is likely to gain momentum, Kay said, now that an ever-greater number of Iraqis are cooperating with US troops.

"We are gaining the active cooperation of Iraqis who were involved in those programs," he said.

Kay said Iraqi citizens have provided promising leads in the hunt for banned weapons, but he declined to provide further details "until we have full confidence that it's solid proof."

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