|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
|
|
|
|
Posted on 01/17/2003 8:45:54 AM PST by TLBSHOW
White House calls chemical warhead discovery 'serious'
WASHINGTON - The White House said Friday that chemical warheads found in Iraq had not been declared by President Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s government as required by U.N. rules, and called the discovery "troubling and serious."
Presidential spokesman Ari Fleischer (news - web sites) stopped short of calling the weapons cache a breach of an anti-arms U.N. resolution, saying the United States has already found Saddam in violation of several U.N. rules.
U.S. officials hope the discovery of 11 empty chemical warheads at a storage area 75 miles (120 kilometers) south of Baghdad will bolster their case against Saddam. Iraq said the weapons were on its 12,000-page declaration required by the U.N., an assertion disputed by Fleischer.
"Chemical warheads were not, not on the ... list of weapons Iraq issued," he said. "The fact that Iraq is in possession of undeclared chemical warheads ... is troubling and serious."
He repeated the line when asked if the discovery represented the long-sought "smoking gun" against Saddam.
Fleischer also dismissed Saddam claim Friday that Iraqi enemies would face "suicide" at the gates of his capital if an attack were launched.
"We are much less interested in Saddam Hussein's talking and much more interested in Saddam Hussein's disarming," Fleischer said.
Sen. John Kyl says that if Iraq had not declared the warheads, they would be in "material breach" of U.N. resolutions — meaning there could be grounds for use of force.
"That is a big deal," Kyl said, adding that it would only be the tip of the iceberg. "There's a whole lot more we're never likely to find because it's too hard to find in a country as large as Iraq."
Though Fleischer stopped short of labeling the discovery a "material breach," which Bush and the United Nations (news - web sites) could use as justification for war, the press secretary said it "doesn't get them out of material breach."
He added that Iraq is barred from possessing chemical weapons.
"Iraq's statement here is they forgot that they had these chemical weapons ... which raises the question of what other memory lapses they have which could ... bring harm to their neighbors or our allies," he said.
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the U.N. inspectors have indicated that Iraq has failed in a number of areas to cooperate fully with Security Council requirements.
"There's no point in continuing forever, going on, if Iraq is not cooperating," Boucher said.
The Pentagon (news - web sites) continued its war preparations, saying it might dispatch three more aircraft carriers to the region.
By stationing carriers in the Gulf, the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, Navy fighter-bombers would be in position to attack from three directions, complicating Iraq's effort to defend its airspace.
The administration believes that a U.N. blessing is not necessary and is prepared to take action without it if circumstances warrant, in concert with like-minded countries.
A potential turning point in the Iraq debate could occur starting Jan. 27, when U.N. inspectors are due to report to the Security Council.
Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) will confer with fellow Security Council members during a visit to the United Nations on Sunday and Monday.
Most European nations oppose a military attack against Iraq without the endorsement of the Security Council.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
|
|
|
|
The warhead discovery is a key gambit. Blix wants several more months for inspections - but that would rule out military action this year, because by the time the process ended, it would be too hot for effective action, especially with the need to wear protective gear against chemical and biological attacks. So Bush will probably jump on this finding to set forth military action by the end of next month.
Let's talk some about the increasing complication with the UN. By the late 1980s, 1990s, had Saddam concluded that working through UNSCOM was not going to lead to sanctions being lifted?
By the late 1990s, Saddam Hussein decided that cooperating with UNSCOM was not going to help him, that it was not going to lead to the sanctions being lifted, that it was the policymakers in Washington and London who would decide when the sanctions were to be lifted.
Then little things enabled him to ask for the withdrawal of UNSCOM. He had maintained all along that UNSCOM was full of spies, and all of a sudden some officers in UNSCOM go on television and say, "Yes, we were spying for the United States, yes, we were cooperating with Israel." Saddam Hussein must have been full of joy. He said, 'Look at it. I was telling the truth. Get out of here.
We will not allow Israeli spies to operate within Iraq. We will not allow CIA spies to operate within Iraq.' Everybody suspected that there were some spies in UNSCOM.
But the way it came out, it certainly enhanced his image, with his people, and with the Arab people overall.
It considerably undermined the image of UNSCOM. UNSCOM was finished after it became clear that it had been infiltrated by all of these intelligence services. It had no credibility.
Yep, the Bush Admin will keep releasing bits of intel to the inspectors (who they do not entirely trust) to keep ferreting out several instances of non-compliance, and then will give the inspectors one week to get out of Iraq prior to military action. They know that the Iraqi sympathisers on the Security Council will eventually pass a resolution - by the time the weather is too hot for effective military action. So that is the gambit for the next month.
Yes, it VEY SERIES!
"You know I can't hear you when the water's running."
What a surprise that AP has stopped mentioning the 12th warhead, THE ONE THAT WAS NOT EMPTY, already.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.