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2QVItiV .2C03 23 .

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normal . It is important to realise that for example electricity and
water supplies have never been to the fullest possible extent in places
like that . In Baghdad there has been a serious security problem which I
know the Americans are getting on top of, but don't let's ignore the
fact that this country has freedom, that it is obviously a very
difficult thing for people to adjust after decades of tyranny to the
prospect of freedom, but I think certainly the reports that I get back
is there is still a great deal of optimism about what can be achieved,
and we are at the start of a process now, not at the finish of it. And
now that we have got the UN resolution through, that will allow
particularly the money from the oil revenues m Iraq to be used for the
reconstruction of Iraq and for the benefit of the Iraqi people .

QUESTION :
On the delicate issue of WMD, it was suggested yesterday that the
weapons might have been destroyed prior to the war Do you believe that
the weapons may well not be there because they were destroyed by the
regime just before the war?

PRIME MINISTER:
. . . and I just repeat to you, t have absolutely no doubt at all about the
existence of weapons of mass destruction, and I think rather than
speculating, let's wait until we get the full report back from our
people who are interviewing the Iraqi scientists and experts who were
involved in the programme, who still have only explored a very small
number of the potential WMI7 sites, and (do point out to you that we
have already found two trailers that both our and the American security
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services believe were used for the manufacture of biological weapons .

QUESTION ;
But do you think you Will find usable weapons, there is a difference ~p ~J3 ,L/-, L- ~Ic---o
between finding evidence of a programme, scientists may tell you things
-

you might find egregious, and what your dossier appeared to suggest
which was that they had weapons they could use within 45 minutes? ~s~ ~-
~ Z,~l$t (a<'i~
PRIME MINi5lER: 7~ I VC
I have no doubt at ail that we will find such weapons and I would just .1'~,
wait for the report to come out . But our priorities with Iraq at the
moment are less to do with finding weapons of mass destruction, though
that is obviously what the team is charged with doing, and they will do
it, the actual immediate priority is more to do with the humanitarian
issues and political reconstruction .

QUESTION :
On the roadmap, do you think you are on target with this, and what Is
the single most important part of it, is it going to be the American  ~y.6 u~, / -t a
commitment to this for exampie7 L r t

PRIME MINISTER: Z,Q~-t+=+L ~,~~l,=a~~c- , L

The American commitment is there, and I would point out there are many
people who said to me 2 or 3 months ago that the road map wouldn't be ~~ ~
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published, that President Bush wouldn't show a commitment to the Middle
East. The road map has been published, President Bush has shown a
commitment, the road map is now accepted by everybody, including frankly
the Israeli Cabinet. The issue now is to make it work, and the key --
issue immediately is to put together the undertakings necessary on ~ t ~ , I ;3 G
security for Israel, on lifting some of the restrictions and on making
sure that there is an end to Illegal settlement activity.

WUCJ I IUN: , ,^,/,


Do you share the White House's apparent concerns that Iran may be
exporting effectiveiy a . towards Iraq, is that something that worries
you?

t,oD1-M 1000
PRIME MINISTER:
Everybody is aware of both the history in relation to tranl(raq, and the
nature of the present regime in Iran . But the thing that we have found
most evident amongst Iraqis of whatever religious denomination, is a
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