Posted on 10/28/2004 5:39:51 AM PDT by focusandclarity
The U.S. war against Iraq may have entered it final countdown phase with the arrival of General Tommy Franks, the head of the U.S. Central Command to Doha on Tuesday, western diplomats told Gulf News.
"American military officials have told me recently that Franks' arrival in Doha means that we would be only 10 days away from war," said a Bahrain-based diplomat.
The diplomat, who was speaking off the record, said he expected the second UN resolution, proposed on Monday by the U.S. and Britain, will be passed "narrowly" in the Security Council by March 7.
"The resolution will not be vetoed," said a regional-based Russian diplomat who suggested that this message has been relayed to Iraqi President Saddam Hussain recently by Russian President Vladimir Putin's envoy former prime minister Yevgeny Primakov.
"My personal assumption is Primakov told him 'you have to help us help you' by fully committing to disarming Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction," said the diplomat. Otherwise, he continued, Moscow may well just let the new resolution pass without intervening. "It is very likely we will not vote with it but we will also not oppose it," he said.
The diplomat urged the Iraqis to "quickly" accept the latest demand made by chief weapons inspector Hans Blix to begin destroying its Al Sumoud missiles by Saturday. "I don't think they have other options. There is no time for second thoughts," he said, noting that the issue might prove to be the "war-trigger Washington is looking for".
Good find, however shouldn't the date of this article be Feb. 27, 2003?
You're right, screwed up in my haste, can't get these articles out fast enough. Thanks again.
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