WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- The latest report on Iraq's illicit weapons found no evidence that the country was in possession of any nuclear, chemical and biological weapons by the time of the US-led invasion last year, said the New York Times on Friday.

    The report only concluded that Saddam Hussein's government had a clear intent to produce these weapons, if the United Nations lift the sanctions against it, said the paper.

    The 1,500-page draft, now in circulation within the government, is the final version of a report by Charles A. Duelfer, the top US weapons inspector in Iraq, it said.

    The report, which actually reaffirmed the findings of a research 11 months ago, is expected to be made public within weeks.

    US President George W. Bush has cited the weapons of mass destruction as a major excuse to go to war with Iraq.

    Though no such weapons have been found, the president appeared unrepentant, claiming the Saddam Hussein regime posed a threat to the world whether or not it possessed illicit weapons. Enditem