NEW YORK, March 20- America
will be a significantly safer
place after the Iraq war, according
to a presentation made here today
by a group of leading
non-governmental security experts.    
    
The ad-hoc panel was responding to
a firestorm that was ignited
yesterday when a Lloyd’s of London 
actuary was quoted as saying that
his company, after "extensive
consideration," determined that an
overthrow of the present Iraqi
regime would have only a
"negligible" effect on this
country’s terror-threat level.

"Contrary to claims made by agents
of certain British insurers," 
said participant Don Rondell, "The
American people should rest a lot
easier now that Saddam and his
weapons of mass destruction are
wiped out once and for all." 
 
The overthrow of the regime of
Saddam Hussein by US forces has
"very significantly" reduced the
terror risks to "average
Americans," according to the
estimates of a blue-ribbon panel
of security experts in a report
issued here today in New York.
   
According to panel Chairman Tom
Brookhiser, the panel called the
press conference in response to 
the uproar that followed the
Lloyd's actuarian’s assertion that
regime change in Iraq and the
destruction of any and all 
biological and chemical weapon
stocks would not "significantly
alter" the level of risk from
terror attacks faced by "average
Americans" here at home.

"That English guy’s way off base,"
said one panel member, refering to
Neil Talbot, the lloyd’s actuary
who made the remarks yesterday.

Earlier today, at a press
conference, Lloyd’s responed to
the controversy through a  
spokesman. 

"We are not in the business of
second-guessing governments," he
said. "Mr. Talbot's remarks were
made strictly from the narrow
perspective of risk insurance."
 
Talbot, himself, was not made
availible by Lloyd’s.

"He’s on a new project," the
company spokesman said.