The United States President George W Bush has warned Syria against providing Baath Party members or Saddam Hussein's family a safe haven on its soil.
"Syria just needs to know we expect full cooperation. If they [Saddam backers] are in their country, we expect the Syrian authorities to turn them over to the proper folks," Bush said after visiting the Walter Reed Army Medical Centre
and National Naval Medical Centre.
Visibly buoyed by the victories in Iraq, he said: "The priority of this campaign is to rid the Iraqi people of
any vestiges of Saddam Hussein and his regime so we can not only free the people, but clear that country of weapons of mass destruction.
"I don't know the whereabouts of Saddam Hussein. I don't knlow if he is dead or alive. I do know...he is no longer in
power," Bush said.
He did not directly answer a question whether the world needs to see the weapons of mass destruction found and secured - the original justification for the war. "The war will end when (General) Tommy Franks says we have achieved our objective," he said.