4 years later, UN to finally end search for Saddam's WMD

Earlier this month The Blue State reported that 20 UN inspectors were still searching for Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.  Now that search is near an end.  According to the International Herald Tribune, the United States and Great Britain have requested that the group end its search:

The United States and Britain have circulated a new proposal to themembers of the Security Council to "terminate immediately the mandates"of the weapons inspectors. Staff meetings on the latest proposal havealready taken place, and officials say that the permanent councilmembers, each of whom has veto power, appear ready to let theinspection group meet its end.

Back in March 2003, following the successful US invasion, Donald Rumsfeld was somewhat upset when asked by reporters why no one could find the weapons:

STEPHANOPOULOS: [I]s it curious to you that given howmuch control U.S. and coalition forces now have in the country, theyhaven’t found any weapons of mass destruction?

RUMSFELD: Not at all. If you think — let me take that, both pieces —the area in the south and the west and the north that coalition forcescontrol is substantial. It happens not to be the area whereweapons of mass destruction were dispersed. We know where they are.They’re in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south andnorth somewhat.

Ah, those were the times!