FACTBOX-Iraq war, the notable quotes

(Reuters) - Following are notable quotes from before and after the U.S. invasion of Iraq in March 2003.

* July 11, 2002 - "Support for Saddam, including within his military organization, will collapse after the first whiff of gunpowder." - Richard Perle, then Pentagon Defense Policy Board chairman.

* September 19, 2002 - "I hereby declare before you that Iraq is clear of all nuclear, chemical and biological weapons." - Saddam Hussein in message to U.N. General Assembly.

* November 14, 2002 - "The Gulf War in the 1990s lasted five days on the ground. I can't tell you if the use of force in Iraq today would last five days, or five weeks or five months. But it certainly isn't going to last any longer than that." - Then Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld.

* January 20, 2003 - "His regime has large, unaccounted for stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, including VX, sarin, mustard gas, anthrax, botulism and possibly smallpox. And he has an active program to acquire and develop nuclear weapons." - Rumsfeld.

* March 16, 2003 - "I think things have gotten so bad inside Iraq, from the standpoint of the Iraqi people, my belief is we will, in fact, be greeted as liberators." - Vice President Dick Cheney to NBC.

* March 20, 2003 - "The criminal little Bush has committed a crime against humanity." - Saddam, on first day of invasion.

* April 10, 2003 - "Saddam Hussein is now taking his rightful place alongside Hitler, Stalin, Lenin, Ceausescu in the pantheon of failed brutal dictators, and the Iraqi people are well on their way to freedom." - Rumsfeld.

* April 10, 2003 - "There are jitters throughout the region about the possibility of (U.S.) threats to Syria and possibly Iran resulting in the domino effect." - Prince Hassan of Jordan, brother of the late King Hussein, to the BBC.