OPENING STATEMENT OF MR. CURT WELDON HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE October 2, 2002 Today, the Committee on Armed Services continues its review of United States policy toward Iraq. This morning's hearing marks the fifth in a number of planned public sessions designed to educate and inform the Committee, and the American people, on the various issues surrounding Iraq's continued violation of numerous United Nation's resolutions, its illicit development of weapons of mass destruction, and the threat that Saddam Hussein poses to the United States, the Middle East, and the international community. The Committee has received a series of classified briefings from the Intelligence Community on Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction and conventional military capabilities. We also heard from former UNSCOM inspectors about Iraq's illicit weapons programs and Saddam Hussein's persistent efforts to thwart U.N. inspections. |