U.S. signals anti-Scud forces operating in Western Iraq

Thursday March 20, 2003 13:11

by an impeccable source

By Amos Harel, Aluf Benn, Nathan Guttman and Moti Bassok, Haaretz Correspondents U.S. messages passed to Israel early Thursday indicate that American forces are apparently already operating in western Iraq in an effort to head off possible Iraqi Scud missile attacks against Israel. The Bush administration, keen to avert Israeli involvement in the conflict in order to safeguard its fragile coalition, prevent escalation and limit pro-Iraqi identification in the Arab world, has pledged to forestall a repetition of 1991 Gulf war attacks, in which Iraq fired 39 Scud missiles at the Jewish state.

U.S. messages passed to Israel early Thursday indicate that American forces are apparently already operating in western Iraq in an effort to head off possible Iraqi Scud missile attacks against Israel.

The Bush administration, keen to avert Israeli involvement in the conflict in order to safeguard its fragile coalition, prevent escalation and limit pro-Iraqi identification in the Arab world, has pledged to forestall a repetition of 1991 Gulf war attacks, in which Iraq fired 39 Scud missiles at the Jewish state.

Western Iraq is the only part of the country within firing range of Israel. Senior Israeli officials acknowledged Thursday that the first 72 hours of an American offensive posed the largest potential danger of a retaliatory Iraqui strike against Israel.

But Israeli defense officials said that the assessed probability of an Iraqi strike on Israel remained very low, despite the pre-dawn American missile assault on Baghdad.

Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said Thursday that Israel had no plans to be sucked into the war against Iraq but was praying for the safety of coalition troops.

"Israel is not part of the campaign against Iraq and does not want to be dragged into it," Shalom said in a conference call with Israeli diplomats after the U.S.-led war began. "We are praying for the safety of the coalition troops."

Senior Israeli officials said Thursday that U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell gave Prime Minister Ariel Sharon a 90-minute advance warning that the United States was to launch a volley of cruise missiles in the opening phase of the American-led offensive against Saddam Hussein's regime.

Government spokesman Major General Amos Gilad confirmed reports that said U.S. President George Bush told Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of the intention to attack in a Monday telephone call, and that final confirmation had come in the Powell-Sharon conversation about an hour and a half before the offensive began.

Gilad emphasized Israel's position that it was not part of the war against Iraq, "and therefore Israel should not be disappointed that it was not part of the planning for this particular operation."

Israel Radio said the prime minister and his aides had expressed satisfaction over the U.S. decision Wednesday to give Israel $9 billion in loan guarantees over four years and $1 billion in military aid. The aid package still requires congressional approval.

Israeli officials had been quoted as expressing disappointement with the $1 billion in military aid, as Israel had requested $4 billion, but the radio quoted aides to the prime minister as saying that the disappointment had been largely on the part of the treasury, and that the aid would greatly help Israel at a trying time.

U.S. national security advisor Condoleezza Rice telephoned Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to inform him of the aid decision. Netanyahu expressed to Rice his thanks and that of the Israeli people.

The administration decided to grant Israel $1 billion more in loan guarantees that originally requested ($8 billion), because of the positive impression the U.S. had of the Finance Ministry's emergency economic plan intended to revive the economy, which was presented to the White House as a precondition for receiving the loan guarantees. In return for receiving the loan guarantees, the U.S. is demanding that Israel adopt a series of economic reforms.

The leaders of both houses of Congress this week sent a letter to President George W. Bush, asking him to approve the special aid package that Israel has been seeking.

Pro-Israel lobbyists in Washington managed to muster the support of leaders of both parties in Congress for the aid request. A joint letter written by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle stated that Israel is facing severe challenges in both the economic and security spheres, and that, given the decline in the Israeli economy over recent years, the United States should provide support.

The letter stated, "We are concerned that, if not addressed soon… Israel is in danger of mortgaging its future qualitative military edge. We cannot allow this to happen." The letter also stressed that the Israeli economy must undergo far-reaching reforms in order to extricate itself from its current malaise.

Similar letters have been sent to Bush by the Speaker of the House Rep. Dennis Hastertt (R-Ill.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). The fact that senior figures from both parties are signatories on these letters will certainly smooth the passage of the request through Congress.