Cheney: 'No decision' on military action against Iraq

JERUSALEM (AP) _ Vice President Dick Cheney said Tuesday that no decision had yet been taken on whether to attack Iraq. <br><br>``There has been great press speculation about the possibility of a military

Tuesday, March 19th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

JERUSALEM (AP) _ Vice President Dick Cheney said Tuesday that no decision had yet been taken on whether to attack Iraq.

``There has been great press speculation about the possibility of a military action against Iraq,'' Cheney said, speaking in Jerusalem. ``No such decision has been made.''

Nearing the end of a 10-day, 11-nation tour of the Middle East, Cheney told a news conference that the United States was ``concerned about the Iraqi pursuit of weapons of mass destruction.''

``I consulted with the host governments that I visited with about the situation in the region, and in particular about Iraq's role,'' he said. ``Obviously, we would expect to stay in very close consultation going forward with respect to how we might best deal with this threat.''

During his trip, Arab leaders told Cheney that the United States should not take military action against Iraq. President Bush, in his State of the Union speech two months ago, labeled Iraq, North Korea and Iran members of an ``axis of evil.''