"We still need to find and secure Iraq's weapons of mass destruction facilities," Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told a news conference.

In justifying the need for military action against Iraq, the United States and its staunch ally Britain had alleged that Iraq possessed large quantities of chemical gas and biological agents such as anthrax and was working to develop nuclear weapons.

UN weapons inspections were inconclusive before being interrupted by the war, in which fears that Iraqi forces would use weapons of mass destruction (WMD) have so far proved unfounded.

US President George W. Bush said on the eve of the start of the war three weeks ago, at a summit in the Azores with British Prime Minister Tony Blair: "The dictator of Iraq and his weapons of mass destruction are a threat to the security of free nations."

Blair, for his part, told Britain's House of Commons: "If the only means of achieving the disarmament of Iraq of weapons of mass destruction is the removal of the regime, then the removal of the regime has to be our objective."

The Wall Street Journal, whose editorials have consistently backed military intervention in Iraq, warned Tuesday: "If the United States does not make any undisputed discoveries of forbidden weapons, the failure will feed already widespread skepticism abroad about its motives for going to war."

Rumsfeld, asked Wednesday about the level of concern within the Bush administration over the existence of WMD in Iraq, replied: "You bet we're concerned about it."

He said: "The nexus between terrorist states with weapons of mass destruction, in this case chemical and biological and nuclear technologies and knowledge, and terrorists groups, networks, is a critical link."

The possibility that "some of those materials could leave the country and (get into) the hands of terrorist networks would be a very unhappy prospect," he said.

The defense secretary also said the United States would investigate the sources of Iraq's weapons technology, which he said included developed countries.

"We still must find out everything we can about how the Iraqi regime acquired its capabilities and the proliferation that took place by countries in the industrialized world," he said.

In December, the German daily Tageszeitung published a list of companies and institutions named by Baghdad's December 7 report to the United Nations on its weapons systems including US firms that provided nuclear, biological or chemical components.

The report also listed British, French and Chinese firms that supplied WMD components to Baghdad.

"We need to locate Iraqi scientists with knowledge of these programs. And we're asking people to come forward and help in this effort. Rewards are available to those who help us prevent the disappearance of personnel, documentation and materials," Rumsfeld said.

"Good lives and a better future are possible for those who turn themselves in and choose to cooperate with coalition forces," he said.

"We must also capture or kill the terrorists still operating in Iraq and prevent them from gaining access to weapons of mass destruction," he added.

US forces "must locate Baath party (offices) and locate the records of the Iraqi intelligence service, the special security organization, the Fedayeen Saddam death squads and the special Republican Guards ... so we can find documentation they've been spreading around the countryside on their weapons of mass destruction program."

SPACE.WIRE