Posted on 02/21/2003 7:56:12 PM PST by areafiftyone
LONDON: In a significant trans-Atlantic pincer movement to make the case for war, US secretary of state Colin Powell has given British television viewers advance notice of next week’s second United Nations resolution, while America’s chief ally, Tony Blair, canvasses support on the European mainland.
In a rare interview to the BBC, billed by the organisation as "exclusive", Powell revealed that the second UN resolution would contain no deadline and would not authorise or specify military action.
Meanwhile, in an apparent quickening of the pace to war, President Bush and Blair are reported by at least one British paper to have decided on a 21-day deadline.
The paper said the two men, who had a 30-minute telephone conversation on Thursday, had agreed to give Saddam Hussein until March 14 to disarm or face war.
The two men were reported to have put in place the "endgame" in the long stand-off with Baghdad.
In an orchestrated initiative, late on Friday, British foreign secretary Jack Straw made a hard-edged "moral case for war", ahead of Blair’s Saturday meeting with Pope John Paul II in the Vatican.
The Pope has spoken out against war and a reluctant Vatican is understood to have granted Blair an audience, only to appear even-handed.
Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz was given an unprecedented half-hour meeting with the Holy Father last week.
The rising rhetoric of a "moral war" comes as the heads of both the Catholic Church and of 70 million Anglican Christians around the world, have firmly rejected the morality of bombing Baghdad into submission.
On Thursday night, Powell, who spoke with quiet intensity, insisted a second UN resolution did not need to authorise the use of force. That hurdle had already been crossed, Powell indicated.
The new resolution, he said, would "summarise the situation... as it exists - show that Iraq is not in compliance …will point out that lack of co-operation".
Military force had already been authorised by the six-page UN Security Council resolution 1441 unanimously passed last November, Powell said.
He said the resolution would probably not contain a specific deadline for Iraqi compliance, but added the mantra: "Clearly time is running out…"
In the British government’s most outspoken attack on last weekend’s unprecedented anti-war protests in Britain and around the world, Jack Straw criticised the demonstrators’ "relativist nonsense" about human rights abuse.
Saddam’s was a brutal regime, he said and it was not enough to say Iraq should not be invaded because human rights abuse occurred in other countries as well.
They debated it and passed authoization for war naming Iraq.
The court has ruled that an authorization for war is the legal equivelent of declaration of war.
The court defers to congress to use what words they want to.
I disagree. With each passing day and each passing resolution (none of which are enforced), it becomes more and more apparent how irrelevant the UN is.
A little counter propaganda never hurts.
Its the Russian Winter isn't it?
(NaponOliem)
/sarcasm
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We need time to get our troops into position, and this gives us the perfect opportunity to do so while playing some politics.
We need the second - actually, 18th - resolution to help out Tony Blair.
This is all part of the plan; We're merely playing with the media to spread disinfo.
Tommy Franks' dog ate his homework.
And what happens if the resolution is vetoed by France or another country?
Does that make the offer of 21 days null and void?
Sounds like an interesting game of poker.
Hussain is shooting craps.
Germany, France, turkey, and others are playing poker.
Bush is playing chess.
Unless they have nuclear weapons or smallpox, I doubt that.
Iraq, working with Iran, North Korea
And where do you think North Korea got the ability to launch missiles at the US West Coast from? Certainly not Iraq.
They got it from Red China. And where did the Chicoms get that technology from? How about Prescott Bush and Billy Klinton?
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