IRAQ: EGYPT WILL NOT LET US WARSHIPS PASS THROUGH SUEZ CANAL

Qatar News Agency | 8/19/02

[kattracks]

AMMAN, Aug. 17, 2002 (QNA via COMTEX) -- Dr. Oasma Al Baz, political advisor to the Egyptian president, said Egypt will not allow passage through the Suez Canal of US ships headed to strike Iraq.

In statements published here Saturday he added Egypt rejects any military operation against Iraq, its territorial unity, independence and safety of Iraqi people, adding any military attack on Iraq represents a vary dangerous step endangering the security of the region.

Dr. Al Baz said the question of UN weapons inspectors is an issue which concerns the UN and the Security Council and not Washington and the US has no right to take any military action against Iraq nor has the right to interfere in the internal affairs of another country and impose a set-up of new leadership on its people.

Copyright (C) 2002 QNA. All Rights Reserved.

[dvwjr]

Originally posted by Thud:

Two more points. First, I don't think any of our carriers can fit in the Suez Canal, so they transit elsewhere along with most of their supporting vessels.

Originally posted by cake_crumb:

I'm not sure they will either. Though "British warships" traveled it post 9-11. The article is in the eLibrary archives and a subscription is not free.

No, actually any US carrier can transit the Suez Canal. They do it all the time. See the picture below for proof...

USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) glides smoothly through the Suez Canal during the early hours of July 9, 1999. Theodore Roosevelt was in transit to the Arabian Gulf to support Operation Southern Watch. She also participated in Operation Allied Force.

U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 2nd Class Steven Harbour.
[990709-N-8493H-001]
July 9, 1999.

dvwjr

[My2Cents]

Great map. If only it could be so....

[Leisler]

I thought I remembered the foundation of your argument.

Emperor Hirohito, Dec. 8, 1941. Imperial Rescript on War. Radio broadcast to the Japonese people.

We, by the grace of Heaven, Emperor of Japan seated on the throne of a line unbroken for ages eternal, enjoin upon ye, our loyal and brave subjects:

We hereby declare war on the United States of America and the British Empire. (And the French, the Dutch, the Chinese, The Koreans, the Phillipines, The Vietnamese, The Burmese.....)

Men and officers of our Army and Navy shall do their utmost in prosecuting the war, our public servants of various departments shall perform faithfully and diligently their appointed tasks and all other subjects of ours shall pursue their respective duties; the entire nation with united will shall mobilize their total strength so that nothing will miscarry in the attainment of our war aims.

To ensure the stability of East Asia and to contribute to world peace is the farsighted policy which was formulated by our great, illustrious, imperial grandsire and by our great imperial sire succeeding him and which we lay constantly to heart. To cultivate friendship among the nations and to enjoy prosperity in common with all nations has always been the guiding principle of our Empire's foreign policy.( Those fun loving Imperial Japonese, what coots! What madcaps! )

It has been truly unavoidable and far from our wishes that our Empire has now been brought to cross swords with America and Britain.( Insert sad face here ) More than four years have passed since China, failing to comprehend the true intentions of our Empire and recklessly courting trouble, disturbed the peace of East Asia. Although there has been re-established a national government of China with which Japan has effected neighborly intercourse( Well, maybe Nanking was one big love feast, and anyways, she wanted it.) and cooperation, the regime which has survived at Chungking, relying upon American and British protection, still continues its fratricidal opposition.

Eager for the realization of their inordinate ambition to dominate the Orient, both America and Britain, in giving support to the Chungking regime, have aggravated the disturbances(10-15 million dead by this time ) in East Asia. Moreover, these two powers, inducing other countries to follow suit, increased military preparations on all sides of our Empire to challenge us. They have obstructed by every means our peaceful commerce, and finally have resorted to the direct severance of economic relations, menacing gravely the existence of our Empire.

Patiently have we waited and long have we endured in the hope that our Government might retrieve the situation in peace.

But our adversaries, showing not the least spirit of conciliation, have unduly delayed a settlement, and in the meantime they have intensified economic and political pressure to compel thereby our Empire to submission. ( Did you write this part? How old are you, anyways? )

This trend of affairs would, if left unchecked, not only nullify our Empire's efforts of many years for the sake of stabilization of East Asia, but also endanger the very existence of our nation. The situation being such as it is, our Empire, for its existence and self-defense, has no other recourse but to appeal to arms and to crush every obstacle in its path.

Hallowed spirits of our imperial ancestors guarding us from above, we rely upon the loyalty and courage of our subjects in our confident expectation that the task bequeathed by our forefathers will be carried forward and that sources of evil will be speedily eradicated and enduring peace ... immutably established in East Asia, preserving thereby the glory of our Empire.

[ALASKA]

I doubt they could prevent us from using the canal if we decided to without permission, so we should just use it anyway and treat Egypt to the grandest fireworks display they have ever seen as our ships transit the canal.
"Abdul, look how nicely the contrails frame the pyramid of our ancestors."

[TheBattman]

"I think we just seize the Sinai peninsula, Suez Canal, and any other part of Egypt we may find to our need. We've already paid the ingrates enough for it already. "

Or we can just give it to Israel....

[My2Cents]

Makes me wonder whether the US would want to use the Suez Canal during a war in the Arab world. The Canal is a bit confining, and our warships would be sitting ducks if some extremist group decided to launch mobile missles at them. There appear to be a lot of places along the Canal that such groups might have access.

[justshe]

I missed the announcement re: withholding aid to Egypt. Reason related to terrorist support?

[Leisler]

I did. See 35. None of which you refuted, nor apparently were aware of, hence if you are an American, the appellation, “dolt.” Perhaps the words were too big the sentences too long. I should have repeated myself. Although, I suppose, stick figure pictures could of helped. I stand corrected.

[TheBattman]

Please explain the legal theory behind our 'rights to' the oil of a foreign country.

Actually, in this case, I believe that any country that can be linked, either through direct action, or through financial means to terrorist attacks on our country (or to Israel for that matter) can loose their oil for "reparations". This is definately a case where I support reparations. First we take enough oil to pay for the rebuilding of the twin tower, then enough to pay for rebuilding the destroyed portion of the Pentagon, then we take enough to pay each family who lost loved ones in the attack 10 Million dollars. Then we pay the insurance companies back for the losses they sustained (and we the premium payers are footing the bill for), then we take enough to completely fill our strategic oil reserves, then we take enough to Pay the airilines for their direct financial losses from the crashed planes, then we take enough oil to supply our troops equipment for the next 10 years. When we have all the oil that we have coming to us, we then turn the oil fields over to Israel who then uses the income derrived from the oil to build up a truly incredible military of their own (not that they don't already have a good military), and to pay for similar damages that they have incurred due to the Islamist/Pali terrorism.

[OldFriend]

The story was here on FR about a week to ten days ago. Evidently the President was sending a message.....a welcome one in my opinion.

[Texbob]

Great response.

[PatrioticAmerican]

We should pull our military from Egypt.

[justshe]

What is the source of your information re: Egypt only being the administrator of the Canal? I am MOST interested as this is all I could find:

In 1956, Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser seized the canal and declared it to be the property of the Egyptian people. Britain France, and Isreal invaded Egypt, but the United Nations ordered them to leave and decreed the Suez Canal to be the property of Egypt. The canal closed for eight years in 1967 after Egypt lost a disastrous six-day war with Israel. After the war, Israel controlled the Sinai penisula, which includes the east bank of the canal. The canal reopened in 1975 after tensions cooled. Egypt and Israel agreed to a peace treaty in four years later. Today the Suez Canal is open to every nation.

[justshe]

Thanks, OldFriend. Missed it completely. I'll try to find the thread.

[justshe]

Do you know how many troops we have stationed in Egypt at this time?

[WyCoKsRepublican]

Keep em' guessing, how and where........kind of like the sign on the used car lot.......MAN WITH SHOTGUN ON DUTY THREE NIGHTS A WEEK.........YOU GUESS WHICH NIGHTS.....in a nutshell, we're coming to getcha!.......

[makoman]

We need to turn the whole f@&*ing region into glass!

[nravoter]

First we take enough oil to pay for the rebuilding of the twin tower, then enough to pay for rebuilding the destroyed portion of the Pentagon, then ...

Works for me!

[PatrioticAmerican]

nope. But I do know a few who are there.

[princess leah]

RAM 'em THROUGH!