Conservatives on Capitol Hill are pressuring a divided Bush administration to develop a harder-line policy toward Iraq, including possibly using the northern and southern no-fly zones as sanctuaries for Iraqi opposition groups, reported the Chicago Tribune on Saturday.
Dissatisfied with last month's air strikes on targets near Baghdad, which left many targets undamaged, lawmakers indicated Thursday that they want a sharp shift away from the past decade's policy of “simply preventing Saddam Hussein from threatening oil-rich Persian Gulf states,” said the report. They are concerned by the Bush administration's apparent tilt toward narrowing the sanctions that have been in place against Iraq since the 1991 Arabian Gulf war.
According to the paper, Secretary of State Colin Powell, who outlined a proposal for "smarter sanctions" against Iraq during his recent tour of the Mideast, testifies next week before the House International Relations and Senate Foreign Relations Committees. He is certain to face tough questioning on what some in Congress regard as a relaxation of pressure on Baghdad.
President Bush's national security team is conducting a review of Iraq policy, hoping to develop a new plan of action by midmonth and possibly sooner.
Vice President Dick Cheney, in a conference call with Tribune editors on Wednesday, said, "There is not yet any new policy to announce," suggesting that Powell's remarks during his Mideast trip were not the final word on the Bush administration's stance toward Iraq.
Rather, said the paper, Cheney characterized Powell's visit as "testing the waters" of opinion.
"The sanctions are breaking down, and the consensus that had once existed on how to contain the Iraqis' military aspirations seems to have eroded," Cheney said.
"We've got to put together a policy that will be effective going forward," Cheney said, "and make certain that we do have the support of our friends and allies in the area and that we're equipped to use the necessary means to guarantee that Saddam Hussein doesn't threaten the region once again."
According to AFP, the European Union said Thursday it was looking into new ways to extend humanitarian aid to Iraq, while calling for "smart sanctions" that would pinpoint Saddam Hussein and his regime.
Speaking in the European Parliament, Sweden's state secretary for European affairs Lars Danielsson said the welfare of Iraqi civilians as well as Middle East security were the "major issues" underpinning EU policy towards Iraq.
"We're currently examining the possibilities for intervention at the humanitarian and culture levels in the framework of existing (UN) resolutions," including the oil-for-food program," Danielsson said.
He did not elaborate what those possibilities might be. But he noted that for such help to be implemented, "clearly it is necessary for the Iraqi government to cooperate" with the international community.
Iraq, which demands a full lift of the UN sanctions imposed since its invasion of Kuwait in 1990, has rejected the smart sanctions – Albawaba.com
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