The Bush administration took its case back to the international community yesterday, as Secretary of State Colin Powell addressed the U.N. Security Council.

His speech was a first in that it publicly provided evidence to the United Nations that Saddam Hussein is in violation of resolution 1441.

“I cannot tell you everything that we know,” Powell said. “But what I can share with you, when combined with what all of us have learned over the years, is deeply troubling.”

Powell began his declaration with a phone-taped conversation between Iraqi Republican Guard officers. The first part of the conversation read as follows:

“They’re inspecting the ammunition you have, yes,” the first man said.

“Yes,” said the second.

“For the possibility there is by chance forbidden ammo?” said the first.

“Yes,” the second said.

“And we sent you a message yesterday to clean out all of the areas, the scrap areas, the abandoned areas. Make sure there is nothing there,” the first said.

Powell went on to reveal that one man said:

“After you have carried out what is contained in this message, destroy the message because I don’t want anyone to see this message.”

Powell’s next grievance involved the Iraqi government’s ability to track the weapons inspectors through their investigation and anticipate what site will be examined next. Powell also noted the government’s inability to effectively produce information and the “game of cat and mouse” Saddam is playing.

“Our sources tell us that in some cases, the hard drives of computers at Iraqi weapons facilities were replaced,” Powell said. “Who took the hard drives? Where did they go? What’s being hidden? Why? There’s only on answer why: to deceive, to hide, to keep from the inspectors.”

Powell also produced satellite photos taken before inspectors arrived. One photo showed 15 munitions bunkers, four of which he said were designated as chemical weapon sites due to the security and facilities surrounding them.

The other contained a ballistic missile site U.S. intelligence held under surveillance.

“At this ballistic missile facility, again, two days before inspections began, five large cargo trucks appeared along with the truck-mounted crane to move missiles,” Powell said. “We saw this kind of house cleaning at close to 30 sites.”

Powell also noted four sources who all confirmed the existence of secret biological and chemical weapons development.

The first is an Iraqi chemical engineer, who claimed he supervised the development of chemical weapons. The second, a “civil engineer in a position to know the details of the program, confirmed the existence of transportable facilities moving on trailers,” according to Powell. The third and fourth also confirmed the existence of such programs Powell said.

The secretary played another tape on the subject of chemical weapons.

“Just a few weeks ago, we intercepted communications between two commanders in Iraq’s Second Republican Guard Corps,” Powell said.

After playing the tape, Powell, in emphasizing the tapes content reiterated: “Nerve agents. Stop talking about it. They are listening to us. Don’t give any evidence that we have these horrible agents.”

Powell also touched on Iraq’s nuclear weapons development, citing Saddam’s attempts at acquiring special aluminum tubes from 11 different countries and equipment that enriches uranium.

Before ending his declaration, Powell called attention to the connections between Iraq and Al-Qaeda, saying that Saddam and Osama bin Laden met at times and that Al-Qaeda once established a base of operations in Baghdad.

In response to Powell’s remarks, Iraqi Ambassador to the U.N. Mohammed Aldouri spoke at the conclusion of the Security Council’s meeting.

“No new information was provided, mere sound recordings that cannot be ascertained as genuine,” Aldouri said. “They contain some words that I will not attempt to translate here.”

Iraq will continue diplomatic missions next week as Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz and Pope John Paul II are expected to meet on Feb. 14.

Powell is expected to meet with the foreign ministers from China, Germany and France, all of whom are calling for further inspections, in order to soften the Bush Administration’s stance in the United Nations.