WASHINGTON/LONDON, 18 September — The fragile United Nations coalition assembled by the United States to corner Saddam Hussein was in danger of unraveling yesterday after the Iraqi leader invited UN arms inspectors back into the country unconditionally. But Saddam’s gesture has not stopped the US from intensifying preparations for a massive military move against Iraq as early as this winter.
The pointers abound: a switch in tactics by allied aircraft patrolling the no fly-zones, further shipments of men and materiel to the Gulf, enlarged US military exercises, and plans to move B-2 stealth bombers, a key weapon in the early aerial phase of a war, from the mainland US to bases much closer to Iraq.
This week Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld confirmed that British and US warplanes patrolling the skies of northern and southern Iraq had changed tactics, focussing their fire on large fixed air defense installations, rather than the mobile radar units and missile launchers. In practice the US and Britain are now targeting Iraq’s command and control system, exactly what they would do in the first phase of a wider invasion.
The planned move of up to six B-2s from Missouri to the British Indian Ocean base of Diego Garcia, also fits neatly into the planning of a war.
Separately, Reuters reported that the US Navy is looking to charter a roll-on roll-off vessel to ship ammunition and military vehicles from US bases in Europe to the Gulf this month and next. The contract is in addition to the four giant freighters already chartered by the Pentagon to carry tanks, armored personnel carriers and helicopters to the region.
US President George W. Bush made clear he still wants a tough new Security Council resolution, probably embracing a so-called “one strike” clause whereby unfettered access would be demanded for the inspectors, and spelling out the consequences should that access be denied even one single time.
But Russia, which has veto powers on the Security Council, declared that a new resolution was no longer required. “From our standpoint we don’t need any special resolution,” Igor Ivanov, the Russian foreign minister, said with Colin Powell sitting alongside him.
“We have seen this game before,” Secretary of State Powell said of Saddam’s offer, in language echoed by an equally skeptical Foreign Secretary Jack Straw in London. Flatly contradicting Ivanov, Powell said a new resolution was essential, if Baghdad was to be held to its word.
Arab sates welcomed the Iraqi move. The Gulf Cooperation Council welcomed the Iraqi decision. Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa also welcomed the Iraq move. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said: “This is the beginning of a process of easing tensions.” Jordan said Iraq’s move was “a positive step toward building a dialogue between Iraq and the UN”, and expressed hope it would lead to a diplomatic solution to the crisis.
Chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix had a preliminary meeting with top Iraqi experts to discuss practical arrangements for the return of inspectors to Baghdad. Blix conferred with Hussam Mohammed Amin, head of the Iraqi National Monitoring Directorate, the office used for liaison with UN inspectors as well as Saeed Hasan, a foreign ministry official, who was Iraq’s former ambassador to the United Nations. (The Independent)
