U.S. President Bush intends to tell world leaders at the United Nations next week that unless they take quick, unequivocally strong action to disarm Iraq, the United States will be forced to act on its own, senior administration officials said Friday.
The president's Thursday speech will open the door to a possible new round of U.N. inspections of Iraq's biological, chemical and other forms of weapons. According to The Washington Post in its Saturday edition this move is a step back from months of escalating Bush administration threats of unilateral military action and insistence that only the removal of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein can ensure safety from the weapons of mass destruction he is believed to have or is trying to develop.
The dominant view within the administration is that the time for inspections has passed and that ultimately Hussein will have to be forcibly deposed. But White House officials have been persuaded that working through the United Nations, for now, is advisable and may ultimately facilitate military action.
On Friday, Bush telephoned the leaders of China, Russia and France. Bush's aides said he began the calls -- which lasted 30 minutes altogether, including the translations -- by saying that he wanted to talk to the leaders about world security. "We need to work together to make the world peaceful," he was quoted as saying. Bush told the leaders that he would send high-level officials to each of their capitals after his U.N. speech.
Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the most prominent international supporter of the White House's Iraq policy, will meet at Camp Daviv to discuss their strategy.
In a joint appearance before Saturday's summit, the two leaders were expected to repeat their shared view that Saddam's removal is the only way to stop Iraq's pursuit — and potential use — of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
