Iraq pushes to isolate Bush

Iraq is to launch a diplomatic offensive to persuade Arab leaders that an American strike against Baghdad would represent an attack on their countries too.

Baghdad intends to seize the moment as international reservations about a military campaign against Iraq grow and relationships between the US and some of its traditional Arab allies enter a rocky phase.

"In a few days, emissaries of President Saddam Hussein will be sent to all Arab countries to update their leaders on the real situation," Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan told the al-Ittihad weekly.

"We are confident that they understand the American threats against Iraq are against the whole Arab nation, and confirm the intentions of the US-Zionist administration to attack the capacities of the nation, be it in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria, or elsewhere."

Mr Ramadan also said the opposition of several European countries to an attack on Baghdad could also give new impetus to Iraq's relations with the European Union.

Shortly after the interview was published, Iraq's ambassador to Pakistan told a news conference that all countries needed to stand up to US "aggression".

"It is the duty of all nations, especially Arab and Muslim countries," said KA Rawi. "We will emerge victorious if ever we are attacked."

US President George W Bush has made clear he wants Saddam Hussein removed from power. Senior US administration officials have also indicated that even a return of weapons inspectors to Iraq will not placate them.

But Mr Bush is facing increasing opposition to any military campaign, a development keenly watched by Baghdad.

Germany has spoken out clearly against a military campaign. Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has said he would neither commit troops not contribute financially to any such operation.

UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said this week that the resumption of weapons inspections in Iraq was the best way of reducing the threat posed by President Hussein, although spokesmen insisted this did not represent a deviation from the American line.

However, Mr Straw made clear that the possibility of an attack should "recede" if such options could be pursued.

Meanwhile, America's relations with its traditional Arab allies - Saudi Arabia and Egypt - have deteriorated.

Egypt is angry at Mr Bush's decision to oppose any increase in aid to President Hosni Mubarak's government after an Egyptian democracy campaigner who also holds US citizenship was jailed.

Saudi Arabia meanwhile has publicly stated that it will not allow Saudi bases to be used in an attack against Iraq.

Correspondents say Iraq will be looking to build on these resentments and sympathies as it develops its drive to isolate Mr Bush.

"America's relations with its traditional Arab allies - Saudi Arabia and Egypt - have deteriorated"

Relations deteriorated as US policymakers realized that the the Palestinian Al Fatah, the Saudi Arabian Al Qaeda, the Egyptian Islamic Brotherhood and the Syrian and Iraqui Baath movements were all different brands of the same product. They deteriorated when we followed the money behind the WTC attacks and found they led to every Arab capital in the region. Now Saddam is saying: "if we don't hang together, we will hang separately." But the disparity power between the US and the Arabs is so great that America can hang them all together anyhow. That creates another dynamic against which Saddam Hussein is helpless: the dynamic of the prisoner's dilemna.

If several suspects are separately interrogated, they might fare best if they all kept silent. But each knows that by turning state's evidence, he could get a lighter sentence. Since he has no way of knowing whether the others will hold out, or whether someone else will rat first and get the plea bargain, it is in each perp's interest to start singing first. There are no prizes for ratting second. This is the proposition that American diplomacy is putting to each and every Arab "statesman".

Saddam's problem is that he has no credible chance of winning against the United States. He is as dead a goat scheduled to room with a tiger. He will find very little willingness among other goats to share his fate, event though they all will, eventually.

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