The Bush administration called off a briefing on Syria’s program to develop weapons of mass destruction after a dispute emerged over the intelligence between the CIA and the White House.

The Knight Ridder news agency reported that Undersecretary of State John Bolton was scheduled to tell the House of Representatives International Relations subcommittee that Syria’s development of biological, chemical and nuclear weapons had progressed to such a point that they posed a threat to stability in the region.

Knight Ridder reports that Bolton’s appearance was cancelled after CIA and other intelligence agencies said that assessment was exaggerated.

Bolton has been at the center of controversy before. A year ago he claimed in a speech that Cuba had a biological warfare program.