Saddam May Release Weapons Docs Over Internet
newsmax.com
Stewart Stogel
Wednesday Dec. 4, 2002
United Nations -- Well placed Iraqi sources tell NewsMax that President Saddam Hussein may be planning his next move to head off a U.S. military campaign to oust him.
With the first week of new UN arms inspections completed and Secretary-General Kofi Annan telling reporters the he "was pleased" with Iraq's cooperation, Baghdad may soon turn up the PR offensive.
On Monday, President George W. Bush explained that he (unlike Annan) was "disappointed" with the signals coming from Baghdad.
The PR battlefield becomes ever more important since divergent opinions are now surfacing as to just what is going on in Iraq.
Last week, U.N. chief arms inspector Hans Blix told a closed meeting of the Security Council that he would not tolerate the media "making a circus" of inspections. Yet, since the first inspections, the press caravan tailing inspectors has grown to "more than 100 cars," according to published reports.
On Tuesday, more than 100 reporters shadowed U.N. inspectors into one of Saddam's presidential compounds in Baghdad.
A site previously off bounds, was suddenly besieged by hundreds of press with still and TV cameras. NBC News referred to the site as "Saddam's version of the West Wing." Only this West Wing had far more press sniffing around than its Washington counterpart.
The Iraqi government capitalized on the growing PR momentum by announcing that it will turn over documents on its weapons programs to the U.N. this Saturday, a day ahead of schedule.
Diplomatic sources tell NewsMax that Baghdad may even release the documents on the Internet for everyone to see.
This could put the Pentagon's analysis of the documents under analysis itself by numerous other governments as well as by private think tanks.
To compound the problems for the Bush Administration, Saddam himself may even jump into the fray.
NewsMax has learned that the Iraqi president may decide to turn up at a future U.N. inspection site to personally "assist" the arms inspectors.
"This is a definite possibility, this could happen. Things will be getting more complicated for Bush," explained one well placed Iraqi source.
The source, who correctly forecasted Saddam's invitation for the resumption of U.N. arms inspections, insists that Washington is "becoming increasing isolated" in its campaign for military action.
"They have lost a lot of support (for military action) from the British," he insisted. The Iraqi went on to say that U.S. support for U.N. chief arms inspector Hans Blix may also begin to cool if arms inspections turn up nothing.
Blix's contract with the U.N. expires March 1, 2003.
"The coming weeks will get more complicated for the U.S.," said the Iraqi source. "The (U.N.) inspections will find nothing and George W. Bush will need to think whether Saddam will outlast him as he did his father." |
