By Deb Riechmann



June 17, 2004 | WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush on Thursday disputed the
Sept. 11 commission's finding that there was no "collaborative relationship"
between Saddam Hussein and the al-Qaida terrorist network responsible for
the attacks.

"There was a relationship between Iraq and al-Qaida," Bush insisted
following a meeting with his Cabinet at the White House.

"This administration never said that the 9-11 attacks were orchestrated
between Saddam and al-Qaida," he said.

"We did say there were numerous contacts between Saddam Hussein and
al-Qaida, for example, Iraqi intelligence agents met with (Osama) bin Laden,
the head of al-Qaida in Sudan."

The independent commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks said Wednesday
that no evidence exists that al-Qaida had strong ties to Saddam Hussein.

Although bin Laden asked for help from Iraq in the mid-1990s, Saddam's
government never responded, according to a report by the commission staff
based on interviews with government intelligence and law enforcement
officials. The report asserted that "no credible evidence" has emerged that
Iraq was involved in the Sept. 11 strikes.