IRAQI WMD MIGHT BE IN SYRIA FROM UNOFFICIAL SOURCES

WASHINGTON [MENL] -- The U.S. intelligence community has failed to find evidence that Saddam Hussein transferred Iraqi weapons of mass destruction to Syria, but could not rule out such an effort by unofficial sources.

The intelligence community concluded that Baghdad and Damascus discussed WMD cooperation, including the transfer of WMD from Iraq to Syria. The report did not rule out unofficial efforts to move Iraqi WMD assets into Syria and called for further investigation.

The Iraq Survey Group has concluded that the Saddam regime did not relay biological, chemical or nuclear weapons components to Syria before the U.S.-led war in 2003. The ISG, in a report sponsored by the CIA, said it failed to confirm reports that Syria received WMD shipments from Iraq in late 2002 and early 2003.

"Based on the evidence available at present, ISG judged that it was unlikely that an official transfer of WMD material from Iraq to Syria took place," an addendum to a September 2004 report, released on Monday, said. "However, ISG was unable to rule out unofficial movement of limited WMD-related materials."