WASHINGTON, 15 September — President George W. Bush yesterday mounted pressure on the United Nations to act against Iraq as Baghdad remained defiant in the face of a looming war threat. Bush urged the United Nations “to show some backbone” on Iraq and made clear he was prepared to confront President Saddam Hussein with or without world support.
“Saddam Hussein has defied the United Nations 16 times. Not once, not twice, 16 times, he has defied the UN,” said Bush, who this week challenged the world body to enforce its resolutions on Iraqi disarmament. “Enough is enough,” the president said standing beside Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who called on him at his Camp David retreat. Bush said the United Nations deserved “another chance to prove its relevance.”
“This is the chance for the United Nations to show some backbone and resolve as we confront the true challenges of the 21st century,” Bush said. But, he added: “Make no mistake about it, if we (the United States) have to deal with the problem, we’ll deal with it.”
Facing pressure from foes and friends alike to allow UN arms inspectors unconditional entry, Iraq showed little signs of nervousness. Foreign Minister Naji Sabri made clear Baghdad would not allow UN weapons inspectors in without other issues, such as sanctions, being resolved at the same time.
Sabri, in New York for the UN General Assembly session, met French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin, one of many officials he will be seeing in an apparent effort to avert UN approval of any American military action.
“Inspectors are part of Security Council resolutions and we call for the respect of Security Council resolutions,” Sabri said. “Resolutions consist of other topics — not only return of inspectors.”
In Baghdad, Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz said Iraq would consider a proposal by French President Jacques Chirac to set a three-week deadline for Baghdad to readmit UN arms inspectors provided Chirac guarantees that this would stop a US attack.
Aziz also charged that the United States, backed by Britain, was seeking to lay its hand on Iraq’s oil and redraw the map of the Middle East.
At the United Nations, Arab ministers told Iraq it should avert an attack by complying with UN resolutions on arms inspections.
Meanwhile, the Portuguese weekly Expresso reported that the United States has reserved a total of 20 air corridors across the Atlantic Ocean in the past 24 hours, some of them with access to Portugal’s Lajes air base on the Azores islands where an US air force unit is stationed.
“There can only be one reason for this step, the transport of large quantities of light materiel that can only be transported by plane, as well as military personnel, to the Gulf region,” said the weekly citing military experts.
