Saddam 'kept world guessing to deter Iran'

Published on Saturday 26 January 2008 20:51

SADDAM Hussein allowed the world to believe he had weapons of mass destruction to deter Iran and did not think the United States would stage a major invasion, according to an FBI interrogator who questioned the Iraqi leader after his capture.

Saddam expected only a limited aerial attack by the US and thought he could remain in control, the FBI special agent, George Piro, told CBS's 60 Minutes programme in an interview to be broadcast today.

"He told me he initially miscalculated…President Bush's intentions," said Piro.

"He thought the United States would retaliate with the same type of attack as we did in 1998…a four-day aerial attack. He survived that one and he was willing to accept that type of attack."

In August 2003, Saddam said he did not expect a US invasion and deliberately kept the world guessing about his weapons programme, although he had already scrapped it.

Saddam publicly denied having unconventional weapons before the US invasion, but prevented UN inspectors from working in the country from 1998 to 2002, and when they finally returned in November 2002, they often complained that Iraq wasn't fully cooperating.