Moscow warns US on unilateral Iraq strike as Baghdad scraps more missiles

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/world/afp.html ^ | Sunday March 9, 10:45 AM

[luv2ndamend]

Russia warned Washington that it would be violating the United Nations Charter if it attacked Iraq without a UN mandate, as Baghdad destroyed more banned missiles and warheads under UN supervision.

Iraq's push for disarmament compliance followed a draft resolution given the UN Security Council Friday by the United States, Britain and Spain, which would give Baghdad a March 17 deadline to fully disarm or face military action.

Although the resolution -- with three of the five veto-wielding council members against it -- stood little chance of passage, US President George W. Bush reiterated his resolve to go to war alone.

"We don't really need United Nations approval," he said late in the week, although his government says it would much prefer to have the approval of the international community.

Russia labelled the March 17 line in the sand unnecessary and unjustified and echoed a threat from France, which also has a veto on the council, to block any resolution authorising the use of force.

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov warned that "if the United States unilaterally launched a military strike on Iraq without a UN mandate, it would be in violation of the UN charter," in which case the Security Council would have to "make appropriate decisions."

In Baghdad, the UN inspectors' spokesman said Iraq had scrapped a further six of its banned Al-Samoud 2 missiles after a day's pause, raising to 40 the number of the missiles destroyed since the operation began a week ago.

"Six more Al-Samoud 2 missiles were destroyed, along with three warheads," spokesman Hiro Ueki said.

Iraqi officials have said about 100 of the rockets were made.

Bush derided those efforts as a "willful charade" to thwart UN inspectors.

He also rejected an assessment by chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix that the destruction of the banned missiles represented "substantial" disarmament.

"Our intelligence shows that even as he (Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein) is destroying these few missiles, he has ordered the continued production of the very same type of missiles," Bush said in his weekly radio address.

Iraq described Blix's report as "fair" and in return demanded the lifting of the embargo slapped on it for invading Kuwait in 1990, Iraqi television quoted an official as saying.

The latest draft resolution challenges the Security Council either to declare Iraq in full compliance with UN demands on disarmament by March 17 or to authorise war.

The resolution, amended at the last minute to give Iraq more time, was seen as a bid to turn the tables on France, Germany, Russia, China and Syria. They have locked horns with Britain, Spain and the United States, who are pushing the resolution authorising the use of force.

The amendment states that Baghdad will not have fulfilled its UN disarmament obligations unless "the Security Council concludes that Iraq has demonstrated full, unconditional, immediate and active cooperation" by March 17.

The impending war on Iraq also upstaged International Womens Day, with peace demonstrations taking the limelight at rallies across Europe, the United States and beyond.

Tens of thousands meanwhile took to the streets of European cities protesting against a military strike on Iraq, with Italians burning president Bush in efigy, and an English bishop insisting there was no moral justification for an attack.

European women from Yerevan to Lisbon protested against war on Iraq.

Tens of thousands protested outside a US military base near Pisa in northern Italy, burning an uniformed effigy of Bush.

Leftwing parliamentary deputies were among those who gathered outside US Camp Darby, with organisers estimating the crowd at 60,000 people and the police 20,000 people.

The Italian government has sided with the hardline camp in the Iraqi crisis, arguing that Baghdad should be disarmed by force if necessary, while polls show much of the country's population opposed to war.

Thousands across Germany called on Bush to respect the opinions of the hundreds of millions across the world who oppose a military solution to disarming Iraq of alleged weapons of mass destruction.

In Stuttgart some 300 people held a sit-in outside the US army's European Command.

Clad in pink and chanting peace songs, demonstrators marked International Women's Day outside the White House, where conservative counter-demonstrators urged them to find husbands and stop nagging.

"Get back in the kitchen," Pastor Mark Hines yelled at the women of the Codepink group, named as a spoof of the color-coding system the United States uses to describe the level of alert for terrorist threats.

"We are here because the world needs to know there are American voices that oppose the rush to war," said Shira Keyes, a gray-haired woman clad in pink.

"If we continue to rely on wars to resolve our differences, we will never truly be a just society," said 23-year-old Anne Claire Marshall, wearing a pink wig.

Meanwhile a London newspaper reported Sunday that British and US airborne troops are planning a lightning assault on Baghdad's Saddam International Airport as part of an offensive to overrun the Iraqi capital within 72 hours of an outbreak of war.

British paratroopers from 16 Air Assault Brigade will support US soldiers from the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions in any airport assault, The Sunday Telegraph said, without indicating its sources.

The Telegraph said any assault on the airport would begin in the hours after the launch of war. Combat jets armed with satellite-guided bombs would first destroy air defence sites and troops guarding the airfield before paratroopers or heliborne troops jumped down from a height of 250 feet (75 metres).

[Robert_Paulson2]

When they run out of money for all the third worlders to live the New York City "high life" in style... and stop getting tv time because EVERY friggin thing is vetoed unless WE want to do it... the little pukeassed muggers and leeches will go home to eat their own children.

We will be left with a very large, empty space with a few hundred thousand square feet of office space, that for once in fifty years, actually bring in REVENUE and BUSINESS INCOME and interests... for the USA and New York.

We can then start our own "bless me" club and only invite "yes tony, yes W, yes Ariel" friends... so we can pass and enforce all the "resolutions" we want, to extract the wealth and resources from these former leechist states... at gunpoint if necessary... and only let them INTO our little club... if they toe the line and keep on paying for the right to do so...

WE could also resolve to crush all opposition in anticipation of their "revolting" against what would be the "saner world order..." or better known as the SwO... as opposed to the NWO...

Sorry, I am beginning to feel just this way.
We could call it, the American Society of Hegemoniacal Enforcement of Power... Or A.S.H.E.P

[Just mythoughts]

Interesting what since it was Stalin, while boycotting the UN, sent N. Korean troops down into the south, and then got the Chinese to send down 120,000 troops while Stalin gave them air cover.

I don't remember when the Soviets cleared up their standing as an UN member.

A UN mandate is not a prerequisite to launch a military strike, and they know this, how many people have they slaughtered without UN mandates.

Someone needs to tell them to sit down and shut up. "Curse be on their upper hairy arms.

[DontMessWithMyCountry]

Whenever I hear these meaningless tirades being flung around by these meaningless and consummately useless nitwits, I remember a wonderful line from the Bill Cosby Show, wherein the parents remind the errant child, "we brought you IN to this world, and we can take you OUT of this world." Somehow the Useless Nitwits keep forgetting just who made it (and makes it) possible for them even to exist. Such annoying adolescents they are. Time to GROUND them (permanently).

[Robert_Paulson2]

If they enter the theatre without command and control codes we will shoot them down. We will.
They have no aircraft carriers, no means of projecting power or supplies into the theatre, unless the Turks help them.

I almost hope they try. We need to settle the new pecking order... ours is bigger than theirs... so they are down the list.... WAY beneath Britain and Israel...

And I have been predicting War with russia and france by this years end... for while now.

By year's end, our ballistic missile shield will be operational... at that point RUSSIA's powerful deterrent and FRANCE's nuclear deterrent built to counterbalance and oppose us during degaulle's season of stupidity... will both be less than nothing.

And our arsenal will be so specific, targetted and humanitarian that they will be sitting ducks to resist us.

THEY must act NOW to stop the inevitable loss of all deterrent they may now have to counterbalance our hegemony... OR determine that getting along and submitting to OUR world order, is in THEIR BEST INTERESTS... which it is.

This will be their final opportunity to answer. And after their performance in protecting sadaam... I am not hopeful for them... but VERY hopeful for us.

SCREW the french paratroopers...
SCREW the latest "sadaam into exhile" plan.

It's boot in the ass time... for whoever is bending over for sadaam...
imho...

[Mo1]

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov warned that "if the United States unilaterally launched a military strike on Iraq without a UN mandate, it would be in violation of the UN charter," in which case the Security Council would have to "make appropriate decisions."

What are they going to do .. kick us out of the UN?

[TheLurkerX]

I don't know. This could be serious, and we might want to reconsider. If Russia takes us before the council, we might look up in 12 years and have to endure endless open ended inspections for the 18 resolutions passed condemning us, and if we don't comply, the USA might provide the funds and military to bring us into line. Oh wait, that's just stupid. Never mind.

[Centurion2000]

I'm beginning to wonder if maybe Germany, France and Russia aren't secretly planning to attack the U.S. when we free the Iraqi people

Do they really think that we're puting ALL of our cards on the table ? We got stuff they haven't even dreamed of yet.

[Spruce]

Indeed! We finally have leaders that know the "Grand game" is not over. If a trooper does not fly the correct IFF code they are dead. America is about to Check-mate the whole world and thank God our administration is playing the "Game" to win.

[Jorge]

Violating the United Nations Charter? Golly, I hope they don't punish us as harshly as they have Iraq.

Exactly. What hypocrites.

[bart99]

I hope they demand our immediate, unconditional, apology.

What exactly is it they can even demand of us if we are bad boys in their eyes?? Seriously.

[twntaipan]

Would someone please tell the fools that for it to be unilateral all those other nations (Britain, Australia, Italy, Spain and many others) would have to decide they weren't with us? Would someone please inform the socialists of the world that to be multilateral does not require the UN to vote 100% for disarming Saddam?

[blackbart.223]

"I cannot, for the life of me, understand why these countries are so dead set against stopping terrorist aggression. There's more going on here than meets the eye, I fear."

When the dust settles, follow the money trail.

[luv2ndamend]

It is the same crap the hollywood and leftist have been saying. They think the world does not exist unless it is with russia, france and china.

[Sparky760]

LMAO

[bart99]

Yup.... I agree. We're playing to win now. This is the Powell Doctrine actually - overwhelming force with clear abjectives. Interesting that it's Powell who's become our beloved hawk in the UN now. And yes.... we hve things they haven't begun to know about.

And God help North Korea if they press us too hard. We're patient, but we (Bush) are on a mission now. And blackmail isn't going to work.

[Jorge]

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov warned that "if the United States unilaterally launched a military strike on Iraq without a UN mandate, it would be in violation of the UN charter," in which case the Security Council would have to "make appropriate decisions."

Perhaps they can reprimand us with a few more hollow and toothless mandates like those made against Iraq.

These cowards and hypocrites aren't in a position to warn the United States about anything.

[bart99]

I'm STILL not going to apologize for my typos. I'ts this computer, of course.

Even if it does make me look ignorant and..... dumb.

I ain't apologizing!!!!

[Sparky760]

This is just proof that Cheney and Rummy were correct in saying that going with the UN was a trap. I hope that Powell has learned a lesson from this.

You may be right but I am beginning to think quite the contrary. This may turn out to be a defining moment in history. On one count it will create a realignment of world superpowers or perhaps to put it simply show the world who is really boss economically and militarily. On another count this may well be the end of the UN, and if not the end it will render it useless. And as bonus we can only hope the crowd on the left is made to look like the fools that they are.

[Thorondir]

Uncle Sam to Boris: "Sit down, you primitive fallen commie, eat some more stroganof, drink some more Wodka, and watch what a country of REAL men do when threatened. Other than that, JUST SHUT YOUR YAP!"