Iraq on Saturday provided the names of about 500 scientists who had worked on its weapons of mass destruction programs, while U.S. officials said Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has ordered a sharp increase of forces in the Gulf in case of war with Baghdad. U.N. spokesman said Iraq handed over to arms inspectors the names of personnel the United States says could pinpoint any illicit arsenal Baghdad may possess.

U.N. spokesman Hiro Ueki told a news briefing in Baghdad the list of Iraqi scientists, demanded by chief weapons inspector Hans Blix on Dec. 12, contained more than 500 names and included experts in chemical, biological and nuclear programs and in the development of long-range missiles.

One Iraqi scientist already interviewed spoke out publicly to reject U.N. inspectors' suggestions his work may have been related to secret efforts to develop nuclear missiles.

International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors interviewed one leading Iraqi scientist on Friday, but metallurgist Kathim Mijbil said on Saturday the experts had exaggerated the outcome of the interview.

Ueki sought on Saturday to play down the apparent misunderstanding, saying the scientist had not participated in a previous nuclear weapons program and that the information he gave was not classified.

President Bush said the United States would confront the danger of "catastrophic violence" posed by Iraq and its weapons of mass destruction.

Defense Department and Bush administration officials said the movement of U.S. armored, infantry and airborne troops to the Gulf would be significant. They said it would at least double the 50,000 Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps personnel already near Iraq and was a clear signal of Bush's intent to end Baghdad's chemical, biological and nuclear arms programs.

Baghdad, which denies it currently has weapons of mass destruction programs, said it would fight any invaders through the streets and teach them a lesson they would never forget.

MORE WEAPONS SEARCHES

U.N. inspectors, combing Iraq for signs of illegal weapons it denies having, searched seven more suspect sites, including an air force site near the northern town of Mosul.

The main Iraqi Shi'ite opposition group based in Iran, SCIRI, said it had evidence of Saddam's weapons of mass destruction and wanted to hand it to the United Nations.

PHOTO CAPTION

Iraqi scientist Kathim Mijbil gestures at a news conference in Baghdad, December 28, 2002 where he said U.N. experts had exaggerated the import of their interview with him. Iraq named 500 scientists on Saturday who had worked on its banned weapons programs, identifying personnel who the U.S. says could pinpoint any illicit arsenal Baghdad may possess. (Suhaib Salem/Reuters