Bush/Iraq -2: Warns Iraq Military Of Serious Consequences
22 Jan 13:11
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--In the event of a war with Iraq, President George W.
Bush warned Wednesday there will be "serious consequences" for any Iraqi
officers or soldiers who order the use of weapons of mass destruction against
U.S. troops.
The president didn't define what those consequences would be, but he promised
the U.S. would pursue and persecute any Iraqi officer or soldier who commits
war crimes.
"There will be serious consequences for the dictator in Iraq, and there will
be serious consequences for any Iraqi general or soldier who were to use
weapons of mass destruction on our troops or on innocent lives within Iraq,"
Bush said during a speech in St. Louis.
Bush said that anyIraqi soldiers who receive an order to use weapons of mass
destruction would be well advised to ignore the order because otherwise "when
Iraq is liberated, you will be treated, tried and persecuted as a war
criminal."
Bush made the comments as he and other top officials have stepped up their
rhetoric against Iraq. While administration officials have said that no
decision has been made to attack Iraq, they are warning it may be the only
option left.
Bush said he hopes that the confrontation with Iraq can be resolved
peacefully, but he reiterated his view that Iraq isn't cooperating with the
U.N. weapons inspectors.
In addition, he said the U.S. remains committed to enforcing fully all U.N.
resolutions against Iraq and said the U.S. will make sure others live up to
their obligations also.
Saying that Saddam Hussein has learned in the past that he can lie and cheat
his way past weapons inspections, Bush said he hopes the rest of the world also
is paying atention to history.
"I hope the world has learned the lessons from the past, just like Saddam
Hussein has learned the lessons from the past, but in a different way. It's
time for us to hold the world to account, and for Saddam to be held to
account," Bush said.
Bush said that U.N. weapons inspectors found 12 chemical warheads in Iraq
that Baghdad hadn't declared in its 12,000- page weapons declaration and called
the event "troubling and disturbing" because it shows Iraq has no intention of
disarming.
"We know what it means to disarm. We know what a disarmed regime does. We
know how a disarmed regime accounts for weapons of mass destruction. Saddam
Hussein is not disarming like the world has told him he must do. He's a
dangerous man with dangerous weapons. He's a danger to America and our friends
and allies," Bush said.
On the broader war on terrorism, Bush again vowed to pursue terrorists
relentlessly and said that the recent case in the U.K., where suspected
terrorists were found witha small amount of Ricin, should be a warning. He
also linked that particular terror cell to al-Qaida.
"Our friends in Great Britain have recently uncovered and have arrested a
group of al-Qaida that they think were intending to poison the British people,"
Bush said.
However, British authorities have linked the terror cell to Algerian
extremists and played down any direct link to al-Qaida.
-By Alex Keto, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-9256; Alex.Keto@dowjones.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
01-22-03 1311ET |
