- LONDON (Reuters) - British
Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon said on Monday there was no evidence so far
to link Iraq to the anthrax attacks in the United States.
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- He insisted there was no hidden agenda behind the attacks
on Afghanistan and said: "This is not a prelude to a wider
war."
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- Speaking to a news conference specially convened for
Arab journalists in London, he said there were no splits in the U.S.-led
coalition over the war aims.
-
- "The excellent dialogue continues," he said
before flying to Washington for talks with Bush administration
officials.
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- Hoon also warned British Muslims that they faced dire
consequences if they went to fight alongside the Taliban in
Afghanistan.
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- On Iraq, he sought to dampen speculation about Baghdad
being linked to attacks in the United States.
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- Hoon said: "There is no evidence linking Iraq to
the events of 11th September. There is no evidence either so far that links
Iraq to the anthrax attacks in the United States. I think it is important
we emphasize those things."
-
- The same message was delivered last week in Washington
by Senator Bob Graham, a Florida Democrat who chairs the congressional
intelligence committee.
-
- Speculation about a possible Iraqi connection was fueled
by information that Mohammed Atta, suspected of hijacking the first plane
that struck the World Trade Center, had met an Iraqi intelligence official
in Prague.
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- U.S. officials have privately cautioned that the two
meetings, in June 2000 and April 2001, were not evidence that Iraq was
tied to the attack on America. Iraq has denied any links to the
attack.
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- Asked if coalition air strikes might be halted during
the Muslim Holy month of Ramadan, Hoon said religious sensitivities would
be taken into account.
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- But he said: "We cannot afford to allow Osama bin
Laden or al Qaeda or the Taliban regime to regroup knowing that they will
not face military action in the course of Ramadan."
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- Hoon issued a stark warning to British Muslims who might
contemplate joining the conflict in Afghanistan after reports that three
of them were killed in American air attacks on Kabul.
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- Britons who joined the Taliban ranks could face death
in Afghanistan or legal action in Britain if they returned.
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- "I would hope that anyone who is contemplating going
to Afghanistan does think very carefully about the consequences both to
them and their families," he said.
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