The US, Iraq, Iran and North Korea

Sources at the British foreign office said on Saturday that advisors of the US President George Bush have agreed that Iraq represents " the evil," but inserting Iran's name caused a great controversy while enrolling the name of North Korea in the list was made in order not to say that only " Muslim states " represent "the axis of evil" set by Bush in his speech three days before.

US President Bush in a recent speech said "North Korea is a regime arming with missiles and weapons of mass destruction, while starving its citizens. Iran aggressively pursues these weapons and exports terror, while an unelected few repress the Iranian people's hope for freedom. Iraq continues to flaunt its hostility toward America and to support terror. The Iraqi regime has plotted to develop anthrax, and nerve gas, and nuclear weapons for over a decade. This is a regime that has already used poison gas to murder thousands of its own citizens -- leaving the bodies of mothers huddled over their dead children. This is a regime that agreed to international inspections -- then kicked out the inspectors. This is a regime that has something to hide from the civilized world. States like these, and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world."

The sources explained that Syria and Libya were listed on the list of " axis of evil," although the two countries are accused by supporting terrorism because they maintain a dialogue with the West on the one hand, and of being of less importance, on the other.

Last year, US Vice Admiral Thomas R. Wilson, Director, Defense Intelligence Agency said: "North Korea, Iran, and Iraq, could field ICBMs with WMD (weapons of mass destruction), presenting a new strategic threat that we've not faced before."