Antichrist, Poodle fail to present a united strategy on Iraq

Saturday February 01, 2003 05:35

by Conor O'Clery

Both the Antichrist and his Poodle looked strained

At a press conference after their meeting, both The Poodle and The Antichrist, looking strained, declined to tell reporters whether they had agreed to submit a second resolution. The Antichrist-Poodle tryst came the same day as Dr Blix publicly challenged The Antichrist's premises for a war against Baghdad.

Bush, Blair fail to present a united strategy on Iraq
By Conor O'Clery, North America Editor
Irish Times
Saturday, February 01, 2003
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/front/2003/0201/3086597335HM1IRAQ.html

US President George Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair failed yesterday after a summit meeting in the White House to present a united strategy on confronting Iraq in the weeks ahead.

Mr Blair emphasised the importance of further diplomacy to get international backing for military action - but Mr Bush made a point of saying that he had the authority to attack Iraq without another resolution of the UN Security Council.

The British Prime Minister stated before the two-hour meeting that he supported returning to the Security Council for UN backing.

"Absolutely, it's right that we go for a second resolution," he declared.

However, at a press conference after their meeting, both he and Mr Bush, looking strained, declined to tell reporters whether they had agreed to submit a second resolution. Their talks continued over dinner last night.

The US President was adamant that time was running out - and officials said later that he wanted to put a deadline in the wording of any resolution.

"This is a matter of weeks, not months," he said. "Any attempt to drive the process on for months will be resisted by the United States. I want to remind you I was the guy who went to the United Nations in the first place. This needs to be resolved quickly.

"Should the United Nations decide to pass a second resolution, it'd be welcome if it is yet another signal that we're intent upon disarming Saddam Hussein," he went on.

"However, Resolution 1441 gives us the authority to move if Saddam Hussein does not disarm."

Resolution 1441, passed unanimously by the Security Council in November, requires the US to consult members before taking action if Iraq fails to co-operate fully with weapons inspectors. US officials have always insisted that this did not tie their hands.

Mr Blair clearly pressed hard for a second resolution yesterday to give the US and the UK a chance to persuade France and Germany to support military action.

Mr Blair said that it was vital to mobilise international support and the international community in order to make sure the two threats of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction were dealt with.

Chief UN weapons inspector Dr Hans Blix had said President Saddam Hussein was not co-operating, Mr Blair said. "What is important is that the international community comes together and says this is not acceptable."

Two to three weeks would give the US military time to complete their invasion plans in the Gulf region.

The Bush-Blair meeting came the same day as Dr Blix publicly challenged Mr Bush's premises for a war against Baghdad.

Mr Blix took issue with claims by US Secretary of State, Mr Colin Powell, that the inspectors had found that Iraqi officials were hiding and moving illicit materials inside Iraq and across its borders to prevent their discovery.

In an interview with the New York Times, he said inspectors had reported no such incidents. Nor had he any reason to believe, as Mr Bush alleged in his State of the Union address on Tuesday, that Iraqi agents were posing as scientists.

He disputed the Bush administrations's charges that the inspections process might have been penetrated by Iraqi intelligence and sensitive material leaked to Baghdad. He had seen no persuasive evidence of Iraqi ties to al-Qaeda.

Nevertheless, he acknowledged that "diplomacy needs to be backed by force sometimes, and inspections need to be backed by pressure."

Mr Blair's visit to the US follows a rift among European countries, with the UK leading a group supportive of America while France and Germany argue that inspectors should be given more time to complete their work.

Two more countries, Slovenia and Slovakia, yesterday added their support to a letter backing the Bush administration, which was initially signed by Britain, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain.

On Thursday, Mr Bush said that diplomacy would be exhausted within "weeks, not months".

Next Wednesday Mr Powell will present US intelligence to the UN Security Council in an attempt to show that the Iraqi president "aids and protects terrorists, including members of al-Qaeda".

In the Security Council, members are split 11-4 in favour of letting the inspections run their course, according to UN Secretary General Koffi Annan.

For a second resolution to be passed, nine members would have to vote for it, with no veto forthcoming from the five permanent members, which include China, France and Russia, all of whom have declared their reluctance for hasty military action.

Mr Blair sidestepped a question yesterday about whether there is a link between Saddam and the September 11th hijackers. "I've got no doubt at all, unless we deal with both threats they will come together in a deadly form," he said. Mr Bush said simply "Yes".

http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/front/2003/0201/3086597335HM1IRAQ.html