| Submit your comments on this article |
| Axis of Evil |
| US kicks aside EU resistance |
| 2003-01-22 |
| President George Bush has rejected European attempts to continue weapons inspections in Iraq until March and his administration is beginning to lay out a case for a military strike soon. Responding to French Government attempts to forestall war with Iraq, Mr Bush repeated his threat that "time is running out for Saddam Hussein". Overriding claims by the French and German foreign ministers that President Saddam is being contained by the inspections, Mr Bush said: "It is clear to me now that he is not disarming. And surely our friends have learned lessons from the past". He played the Hitler card again. In what appeared to be a test of France's opposition to war, Mr Bush said the US would lead a "coalition of the willing" in a war against Iraq. Australia would be expected to join that campaign. In response, France said it would ask the European Union to support its opposition. The EU on Tuesday rejected a war on Iraq without United Nations backing. It said weapons inspectors must have time to do their job. EU President and Prime Minister of Greece Costas Simitis said a war would harm peace and stability in the Middle East. There's peace and stability in the Middle East? The US is believed to be close to the end of its patience with France, which has told the US not to bother presenting a resolution on Iraq to the UN Security Council in coming weeks, because it would not let it pass. OK, we won't. Works for me. At the same time, one of the US administration's most senior foreign policy officials, Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, foreshadowed some of the arguments in the US case for war against Iraq that Mr Bush is expected to make next week in his State of the Union address. Tuesday, January 28th should be a interesting day. Speaking to the US Institute of Peace, Mr Armitage insisted that "thousands and thousands of weapons" in Iraq remained unaccounted for in its weapons declaration given in December. The speech was part of a process by the Bush administration to step up its public relations case for war. The administration has opened an Office of Global Communications that yesterday released a report on Iraqi propaganda called Apparatus of Lies. The report, distributed at the speech by Mr Armitage, features black-and-white military photographs from the 1991 Gulf War and heated rhetoric that leave no doubt about the administration's antipathy for President Saddam. "This report shines light on the apparatus used by Saddam Hussein and his cadres to deceive the Iraqi people and the international community. The oppressive and totalitarian nature of Saddam Hussein's regime enables his . . . deceit," it said. A final section, "Conclusion: The Lies Continue", said Saddam's friends had been asked to serve as human shields in the event of US military action. Mr Armitage said the report "goes over some of the sordid history of distortion" by Iraq since the 1991 Gulf War: "I commend it to you to the extent that the past is prologue." He said the State Department was working to avoid war, but "the next few days and the next few weeks will show us if we're going to be able to prevent such a scenario from unfolding. And I wish I were here to tell you that I am optimistic." 31 January is the meeting between Bush and Blair at Camp David. Blair will want to be back in London before the announcement that the fights on, don't you think. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #1 Saddam's friends had been asked to serve as human shields in the event of US military action.<\i> Man, that's being blunt, telling it like it is. "It is clear to me now that he is not disarming. And surely our friends have learned lessons from the past". He played the Hitler card again. Damn straight! I'm proud of my President! |
| Posted by: Ptah 2003-01-22 10:57:58 |