Posted on 03/24/2003 11:45:18 AM PST by JohnHuang2
Sparks between U.S., Russia over alleged Iraq aid
By Steve Holland
WASHINGTON, March 24 (Reuters) - Sparks erupted between the United States and Russia over the Iraq war on Monday when President George W. Bush complained to Russian President Vladimir Putin that Russian companies had sold banned military hardware to Iraq.
At the same time, the United States cast doubt on the fate of Saddam Hussein despite a defiant televised speech by the Iraqi president hailing resistance to U.S. and British invasion forces.
Bush turned his attention to the cost of the war, preparing to tell congressional leaders that his cost estimate was nearly $75 billion.
White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Washington had credible evidence that Russian companies had sold prohibited hardware to Iraq like anti-tank missiles and night vision goggles and demanded immediate government steps by Russia to stop the practice.
Bush raised the issue in a phone call to Putin, who has opposed the use of military force in Iraq and had fought a now-defunct U.N. resolution that would have authorized war.
Bush told Putin of U.S. concern that there was ongoing cooperation and support to Iraqi military forces being provided by a Russian company that produces GPS jamming equipment.
"This is what was discussed in the phone call. There are other causes of concern, as well involving night vision goggles and anti-tank guided missiles," Fleischer said.
A U.S. official said Washington made its accusations public late last week when it discovered Russian company technicians in Baghdad aiding the Iraqis with the GPS jamming system after the start of the war.
Putin assured Bush he would look into Bush's concerns, said Fleischer. In Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov denied Russia had sold Iraq military equipment in breach of U.N. sanctions, but vowed to examine U.S. evidence.
Saddam was the target of the first U.S. missile strike of the war, now in day five, but he appeared on television on Monday to declare "victory is coming" after a day of setbacks for U.S. and British forces.
Fleischer suggested the tape could well have been pre-recorded.
"Reviewing the tape does not lead anybody to the conclusion that this is something fresh," he said.
U.S. officials said it was still not clear whether Saddam was dead or alive.
"We just don't know," a senior U.S. official said.
Another official said U.S. intelligence agencies believed the tape could be a bluff, recorded ahead of the war and cut to suit the circumstances.
"He seems to be making reference to some units which haven't even engaged in battle. They're assuming it was him, but the question is 'when' it was him," the official said.
COSTS OF WAR
Bush ordered troops into battle last Wednesday after Saddam dismissed a 48-hour ultimatum to flee Iraq.
He planned to meet his economic advisers then brief congressional leaders on the costs of the war later on Monday afternoon.
The White House has delayed releasing estimates, saying war costs were inherently flawed because they could not predict various battle scenarios.
But U.S. officials said Bush would ask for close to $75 billion, including more than $62 billion for the Pentagon, aid for key allies Israel, Jordan and Egypt, as well as humanitarian assistance and initial funding for the reconstruction of Iraq after the fighting dies down.
In addition, the request Bush is expected to send to Congress as early as this week will contain billions more to beef up security in New York and other targets of possible reprisal attacks by Islamic militants.
The U.S. Senate acted preemptively on Friday by voting to trim $100 billion from Bush's tax-cut plan to cover war-related costs.
Bush had lunch with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and was due to travel to Tampa, Florida, on Wednesday to visit the U.S. military's Central Command and speak about the war effort. It will be his first trip outside Washington since the start of the conflict.
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