Posted on 09/14/2002 9:21:02 AM PDT by The_Victor
Bush issued his challenge a day after returning from New York where he called on the United Nations to demand that the Iraqi president destroy his weapons of mass destruction. The United States is pressing for a deadline for Saddam to comply. Bush said the United Nations should "show some backbone" and "show its relevance." He added: "Make no mistake about it. If we have to deal with the problem, we'll deal with it." Bush spoke as he welcomed Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, a staunch ally in the U.S.-led war against terrorism.
It was the second weekend meeting in a row with a foreign leader on Iraq at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland's Catoctin Mountains. Last Saturday Bush conferred with British Prime Minister Tony Blair ( news - web sites). Repeating the case he outlined at the United Nations on Thursday, Bush said Saddam had "stiffed the world" 16 times by flouting U.N. resolutions about Iraq's weapons programs. Asked why Iraq deserved another chance to comply, Bush said the standoff was as much a test of the United Nations as of Saddam. The meeting took place two days after Bush pressed the Security Council to address Saddam's defiance of international resolutions. If the Iraqi dictator refuses to disarm, Bush declared, "action will be unavoidable."
The Italian premier has called preventive military action legitimate if Baghdad doesn't change its ways. But he also said Friday that force should only be used by international agreement. Several allies have "called on the world to act," Bush said in his address, ticking off a list that, besides Berlusconi, included Blair, Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar of Spain and Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski. Bush argued that Saddam supports terrorist organizations, oppresses Iraq's civilian population and has refused to stop developing weapons of mass destruction. "These leaders have reached the same conclusion I have — that Saddam Hussein has made the case against himself," Bush said. All 15 members of the Security Council agree with Bush's assertion that Saddam threatens international security, Secretary of State Colin Powell ( news - web sites) said Friday after a series of meetings in New York. Bush picked up critical support from the four other permanent, veto-wielding council members — Russia, China, Britain and France — on the need for a deadline, though not on a date. The foreign ministers of the Security Council's permanent members said jointly that Iraq's refusal to obey past U.N. resolutions "is a serious matter and that Iraq must comply." Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said "the Iraqi government will take responsibility itself for possible consequences" if Saddam refuses to cooperate with the United Nations. A resolution must be drafted — with talks continuing into next week — setting a deadline for the return of weapons inspectors to Iraq. And a consensus must be reached on what action to take if Saddam continues to reject such an arrangement.
Indeed, Powell told The Associated Press he did not seek — or win — backing from any council member for the use of force, as Bush has said may be necessary. Bush himself was skeptical Saddam would capitulate. "I am highly doubtful that he will meet our demands. I hope he does but I'm highly doubtful," Bush told reporters Friday before returning to Washington. Bush's other front was Congress, where the White House encountered a mix of resistance and support with hearings on tap on Iraq. Sen. Joseph Lieberman ( news, bio, voting record), D-Conn., said he would work with members of both parties to try to draw up a congressional resolution. But Democratic leaders said the administration must provide more information on threats posed by Saddam and on U.S. plans for removing the Iraqi president before Congress considers a resolution in support of military action. "Congress must make it unmistakably clear that when it comes to confronting the growing danger posed by Iraq's efforts to develop or acquire weapons of mass destruction, the status quo is totally unacceptable," Bush said in his radio address. The conservative Berlusconi won the coveted Camp David audience with his repeated efforts to align his foreign policy with Bush's, said a senior White House official speaking on condition of anonymity. "A response is both necessary and indispensable to safeguard the international community," Berlusconi said in a speech to the U.N. General Assembly. "We must make use of all diplomatic and political means available to redress this situation, but if things do not change substantially it will be necessary to act within the framework of the United Nations to safeguard global security." In the past year, Italian police have arrested more than 30 people with alleged links to al-Qaida. A lengthy investigation also brought a series of convictions this year against accused members of Osama bin Laden ( news - web sites)'s terrorist network in Europe.
Remarks by the President and Prime Minister Berlusconi of Italy
Q: Mr. President, if Saddam Hussein has defied the United Nations 16 times and stiffed the world for a decade, why does he deserve one more chance?The President: First of all, the United Nations deserves another chance to prove its relevance.
We Will Hunt You Down. We Will Be Relentless.
We Will Not Tire.
We Will Not Falter.
We Will Not Fail.
Either You are With US.
Or You Are Against Us.
You know how much the left hates tests.
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