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| Iraq |
| Split in UN Security Council widens |
| 2003-03-09 |
| Just as they did the last three times they met, the 15 members of United Nations Security Council agreed on Friday that Iraq has not complied with their demands that it disarm immediately and completely. And just as in previous gatherings, they disagreed over what to do about it and when. The Bulgarian ambassador was just on FoxNews, discussing the backroom sessions. There weren't any fistfights, and nobody's moustache seems to have been cursed, but other than that it wasn't pretty... On the day after U.S. President George W. Bush said more starkly than ever before that he didn't need their approval to go to war, and that it was time for them to "show their cards (and) let the world know where they stand," country after country told the United States it was wrong in insisting that Iraq's chance to disarm was all but over and war was imminent. "Nope. Nope. Can't do it." The majority found reason for guarded hope that war could be avoided. Pakistan's UN ambassador, Munir Akram, said, "We believe there is no imminent threat to international peace and security. The cost of delay, in our view, will be much less than the cost of war." "And if we're wrong, well, no skin off our fore..." The members pleaded for unity, and some talked of compromise. Cameroon is one of the six "undecided" countries the U.S. hopes to woo to its side before a vote is taken. The others are Mexico, Chile, Angola, Guineau and Pakistan. In what is likely to be their last high-level council statement on the matter, none gave any hint on Friday of support for the U.S. resolution, and all called for continued inspections. But U.S. and British officials said they would launch a concentrated weekend of "persuasion," and insisted that nothing was final until the actual vote was taken. "They know there are other interests engaged," said one official, referring by way of example to a U.S.-Chile free trade agreement that must be approved by the U.S. Congress. I don't think we should be giving anything away until the actual vote takes place. I don't think we're going to win it, so we should save the money... Significantly, none of the six fully supported the other extreme of the argument. France, Russia, Germany, China and Syria have called for inspections to continue indefinitely until chief UN inspector Hans Blix tells them there is no more progress to be made. Most of the undecided six said they preferred that the council delineate tasks for Iraq to complete within a specified deadline — along the lines of a compromise proposed last week by Canada, which is not a council member. Neither the United States nor the French side expressed much interest on Friday in a compromise, although France said it was willing to shorten the time between scheduled inspector reports to the council. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #5 read the link @ dailypundit. Tuesday's going to be very, very interesting. |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-03-09 18:51:43 |
| #4 Sec'y Powell seems confident (as of Sunday AM) that we will get the votes. I betcha we get them, because when it's time to raise hands what are they going to do? They may not like the 'cowboy' in the White House, but I'm damn sure they don't want him really pissed at them (even the Frenchies). |
| Posted by: Wes Meador 2003-03-09 14:47:42 |
| #3 The drones sound scarier than they are. Mustard gas from the drones could kill dozens but to kill hundreds or thousands, you would need so much payload that the drone wouldn't get very far. Getting a big enough dose of the biologics to kill would also be a problem for a drone because of dilution, decay in sunlight, etc. |
| Posted by: mhw 2003-03-09 14:39:44 |
| #2 RE: drones. I wonder if we can use some kind of EMP on the drones if we can find them early enough. I do not think that their guidance system is hardened. Though, if they are used as a terror weapon, they could have some kind of rudamentary guidance system like the V-1 that EMP could not touch. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-03-09 14:32:04 |
| #1 GW already has everything he needs: got 1441 with a 15-0 vote, won the Congrssional Resolution, and the Mid-Terms. He just getting the troops ready to go. GW wants a vote. He doesn't need to win or lose. He wants to put France an the UN on notice for their recent perfidity. So there is a lot of squirming going on. And I'm betting Tony Blair is OK without a win. They have isolated France as the bad guys. Tony doesn't face reelection until 06. He and his party have never got along well; he dragged them kicking and screaming from being a motley crew of communists, stalinists, and calcified trade union leaders into government, Without Blair, they would die and they know it. There are ironic parallels between the Security Council and the Arab League meetings last week. When the Destinguished Representative from The Repulic of France is addressed at the Security Council Table by his first name, you just called him a monkey. Addressing any frenchman by his first name is considered very poor social grace. Blix lied to the Security Council Friday. The 167 page document that was highlighted by Jack Straw contains the smoking gun: the drone aircraft and the spraying equipment. What the hell is this stuff for? Advance agricultural technology? These drones are the ultimate weapon. Let them fly and they contaminate everything in their path. Shoot them down and they continue to contaminate where they land. Bastards! |
| Posted by: john 2003-03-09 13:18:24 |