NEW YORK Jan. 23 --
Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz asserted Thursday that Iraq had threatened to kill its scientists if they cooperated with U.N. weapons inspectors and warned that Saddam Hussein was running out of time to avoid war.

Wolfowitz said Iraqi scientists fear for their lives if they speak to inspectors privately, disputing an Iraqi official's statement that the government is encouraging its scientists to cooperate.

"Today we know from multiple sources that Saddam has ordered that any scientist who cooperates during interviews will be killed, as well as their families," he said.

Wolfowitz also said Iraq was tutoring scientists on what to say and that Iraqi intelligence officers were posing as scientists to be interviewed.

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