The remarks by national security adviser Condoleezza Rice marked the first time the administration of President George W. Bush has tried to substantiate its claim that the regime of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and the militant Islamic group led by Osama bin Laden had a working relationship.

They also came when the debate over Iraq policy and other national security issues degenerated into loud political squabbling, as congressional Democrats accused Bush of trying to exploit the war on terror for political gain.

Appearing on PBS's "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" television show, Rice tried to move the discussion to a more substantive level as she offered a glimpse of Iraq's suspected ties to al-Qaeda.

"We clearly know that there were in the past and have been contacts between senior Iraqi officials and members of al-Qaeda going back for actually quite a long time," said Rice.

"We know too that several of the detainees, in particular some high-ranking detainees, have said that Iraq provided some training to al-Qaeda in chemical weapons development," she added.

In an intelligence dossier released on Tuesday, the British government said Iraq continues to maintain a robust chemical weapons program and would be able to deploy chemical weapons within 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, US troops based in Afghanistan have discovered several underground laboratories as well as documents indicating that al-Qaeda had been trying to build crude chemical weapons, according to US military officials.

Rice said the US government did not contend that Saddam Hussein was behind the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, when suspected al-Qaeda hijackers rammed passenger planes into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon building outside Washington.

But she said that the secret ties between Baghdad and bin Laden's terror network was "a story that is unfolding, and it is getting clear, and we're learning more."

"So, yes, there are contacts between Iraq and al-Qaeda," Rice insisted. "We know that Saddam Hussein has a long history with terrorism in general. And there are some al-Qaeda personnel who found refuge in Baghdad."

She did not give any specific names.

The national security adviser said that much of the new information about the relationship between Baghdad and bin Laden associates had been provided by terror suspects held at the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and elsewhere.

"There clearly is testimony that some of the contacts have been important contacts and that there's a relationship here," Rice pointed out without providing details.

She said that when the picture became clearer, the US government would make full disclosure about it.

But as the top White House foreign policy aide was making new allegations about the Iraq--al-Qaeda connection, a new media report indicated that some bin Laden associates might have found a home in Iran.

US intelligence has detected a suspected al-Qaeda training camp in a remote area of eastern Iran along the border with Afghanistan, NBC News reported.

The report, which cited unnamed sources, said satellite imagery had shown what appeared to be a facility complete with an obstacle course and a rifle range, much like those used by bin Laden in Afghanistan to train for assassinations.

US officials have complained in the past that a number of al-Qaeda leaders had fled to Iran, following the US-led anti-terrorist operation in Afghanistan, but there have been no reports that al-Qaeda was actually using Iran to resume terrorist training.

NBC News quoted the sources as saying that Iran's military and intelligence officials certainly knew about the camp.

The US Central Intelligence Agency has refused to comment on the story.

Meanwhile, in the US Congress, which is mulling a joint resolution authorizing the president to use military force against Baghdad, political rancor eclipsed substantive debate Wednesday, as Democratic lawmakers expressed indignation over a remark by Bush that the Democratic-controlled Senate "is not interested in the security of the American people."

"You tell those who fought in Vietnam and in World War II they're not interested in the security of the American people," fumed Democratic Senate Majority Leader Thomas Daschle. "That is outrageous! Outrageous!"

He demanded that Bush apologize, but the White House remained silent.

Congressional officials indicated the flap could make it more difficult for legislators to simply give their stamp of approval to the White House's proposed resolution on the use of force against Iraq.

Republican Representative Henry Hyde, who chairs the House International Relations Committee, made it clear earlier Wednesday, when he introduced a compromise draft that insists that any use of force against Iraq should be approved by a new UN resolution.

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Nampa-AFP WEB story ENDS (NAMPA 260716)

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