Bush Warns of 'Full Force' Against Iraq if Needed
34 minutes ago
By Randall Mikkelsen
URL:http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=564&ncid=716&e=8&u=/nm/20021111/ts_nm/iraq_usa_dc
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush (news - web sites) marked the U.S. Veterans Day holiday on Monday by vowing to use the full force of the U.S. military against Iraq if needed and said America had no territorial ambitions there.
Reuters Photo
Reuters Photo
Slideshow: Iraq and Saddam Hussein
Bush Serves Notice on Iraq
(AP Video)
At a rainy commemoration at Arlington National Cemetery, Bush described the disarmament campaign against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) as a part of the U.S. war on terrorism launched in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks on America.
"The dictator of Iraq will fully disarm, or the United States will lead a coalition and disarm him," said Bush, who did his Vietnam era service at home in the Texas Air National Guard, to a standing ovation from an audience of veterans.
Earlier, he told a White House ceremony the United States was committed to creating a stable and independent Iraq.
"We have no territorial ambitions. We don't seek an empire. Our nation is committed to freedom, for ourselves and for others. We and our allies have fought evil regimes and left in place self-governing and prosperous nations," he said.
Bush, fresh from last week's Republican Party's electoral triumph and unanimous U.N. approval for U.S. demands that Iraq disarm at once, used Veterans Day to press his advantage, at home and abroad.
Among those attending the event in the White House East Room were British veterans of World War II. Britain was been the main U.S. partner in winning the U.N. resolution and is a likely ally in any military action.
VIETNAM MEMORIAL
Bush also made an unannounced visit to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, where he walked along the polished black face of the memorial, which lists the more than 58,000 American soldiers who died or are listed as missing in the war.
"Thank you for your service," Bush told veterans he encountered. He also placed an American flag and a presidential coin at the corner where the two faces of the memorial meet.
The annual commemoration coincided with an emergency meeting in Baghdad of Iraq's parliament to consider its response to the resolution passed by the U.N. Security Council, which demands that Iraq dismantle its weapons of mass destruction programs or face "serious consequences."
Parliamentary speaker Saadoun Hammadi called the resolution "provocative, deceitful and a preamble for war." Iraq has until Friday to agree to the terms of the resolution.
U.S. national security adviser Condoleezza Rice (news - web sites) told reporters she was skeptical the parliament would make an independent decision and Washington would await an answer from Saddam. "This decision is up to Saddam Hussein, and I sincerely hope that he gets about the business of deciding that it is finally time for Iraq to comply with its obligations."
Bush said at the White House that the Sept. 11 attacks showed America was vulnerable to threats from abroad. "The danger from Iraq is clear and it's multiplied a thousand times over by the possibility of chemical or biological or nuclear attack," he said.
Bush has accused Iraq of having ties to the al Qaeda militant network blamed for the attacks, but Iraq has not been linked directly to the attacks. |
