LOS ANGELES/BAGHDAD, 12 October — The Bush administration is contemplating a lengthy postwar occupation of Iraq, in which a senior US general would become de facto governor of the country, oversee the dismantling of weapons of mass destruction and retain US control over Iraq’s most prized natural resource, its oil fields.
The plan, modeled on the six-year occupation of Japan after the World War II, was disclosed to the New York Times and splashed on the newspaper’s front page yesterday — the latest in a long series of leaks concerning US military plans in Iraq, and a likely indication of deep disquiet in senior administration circles about the wisdom of invading and occupying a major Middle Eastern country.
According to the Times report, the Bush administration does not want to follow the postwar strategy it has pursued in Afghanistan — setting up a provisional government run exclusively by civilian nationals — because they want to minimize the sort of chaos that has plagued Afghanistan over the past 10 months and make absolutely sure that any biological or chemical weapons do not fall into the wrong hands once Saddam Hussein is toppled.
Iraqi opposition groups, who have been heavily courted in recent months and encouraged to provoke a coup against Saddam, will therefore be left out of the picture for months, if not years. Even if they succeeded in toppling Saddam by themselves, administration officials told the Times, they could expect a heavy US military presence to move in and take charge of the transition to a more stable, pro-American government system.
A White House spokesman also said yesterday the United States is developing a plan for a post-Saddam Iraq that would involve US-led coalition forces turning over power to Iraqi civilians for a democratic transition as quickly as possible.
The US Congress early yesterday gave President Bush authority to go to war against Iraq, citing a “continuing threat” posed by Baghdad’s alleged weapons buildup.
In a report from London, Reuters said the US Navy is seeking two large merchant ships to carry more armor and tracked vehicles from the United States and Europe to the Middle East as the buildup for a possible assault on Iraq gathers pace.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan predicted yesterday that the UN Security Council will balk at a US push for a resolution on Iraq that would tighten arms inspections and authorize a military strike should Baghdad fail to comply.
In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin turned down a bid by British Premier Tony Blair to secure backing for a UN resolution on Iraq and dismissed charges that Baghdad held weapons of mass destruction.
Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz, who is currently visiting Lebanon, told newsmen Baghdad is ready to respond to any US attack “within the hour.”
Meanwhile US and British planes again bombed targets in southern Iraq yesterday. (The Independent)
