U.S. backs away from claims that Cuba has bioweapons program [View All]

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http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/12516733.htm

WASHINGTON - (KRT) - The Bush administration backed away Tuesday from claims that Cuba has an offensive biological weapons effort, acknowledging in a report to Congress that "there is a split view" among intelligence analysts on the question.

The report says instead that Cuba has the "technical capability" to pursue biological weapons research and development because of its advanced pharmaceutical industry. But it leaves open the critical question of whether it has done so.

The State Department report apparently marks the first time that the U.S. government has publicly softened its earlier charge, which has been controversial from the outset.

Then-Undersecretary of State John Bolton had tried to reassign two intelligence analysts at the State Department and National Intelligence Council who had challenged Bolton's view that Cuba had biowar capabilities, according to testimony at Bolton's nomination hearing to become United Nations ambassador.