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US Aims New Attack at Libya, Syria, Cuba - Empire? - Global Policy Forum US Aims New Attack at
Reuters
Libya, Syria, Cuba
May 6, 2002
The United States on Monday accused three more states -- Libya, Syria and Cuba -- of pursuing weapons of mass destruction and warned it would take action to ensure they do not supply terrorists with such arms.
In a speech entitled "Beyond the Axis of Evil," Undersecretary of State John Bolton said that in addition to Iraq, Iran and North Korea -- which President Bush several months ago branded the "axis of evil" -- "there are other rogue states intent on acquiring weapons of mass destruction, particularly biological weapons."
After the Sept. 11 hijacked aircraft attacks on the United States, "America is determined to prevent the next wave of terror, Bolton, who oversees international security policy, told the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.
"States that sponsor terror and pursue WMD (weapons of mass destruction) must stop," he said. "States that renounce terror and abandon WMD can become part of our effort. But those that do not can expect to become our targets."
Bolton said Washington would direct "firm international condemnation toward states that shelter, and in some cases directly sponsor, terrorists within their borders" and would take action "against proliferators, middlemen and weapons brokers by exposing them, sanctioning their behavior and working with other countries to prosecute them or otherwise bring a halt to their activities."
He said there was "no doubt that Libya continues its long-standing pursuit of nuclear weapons," as well as chemical weapons, biological weapons and ballistic missile capability.
In addition, "We are concerned about Syrian advances in its indigenous CW (chemical weapons) infrastructure (and believe Syria is) pursuing development of biological weapons and is able to produce at least small amounts of biological warfare agents," Bolton said.
Bolton, arguing that "Cuba's threat to our security has been underplayed," said the U.S. believes the communist government there "has at least a limited offensive biological warfare research and development effort (and has) provided dual-use technology to other rogue states."
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