The New York Times
Bush Challenges U.N. to Show 'Backbone' in Opposing Iraq
By JOEL BRINKLEY
WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 — President Bush challenged the United Nations Security Council today to show "backbone and courage" in its deliberations over Iraq, lest it "fade into history as an ineffective, irrelevant debating society."
A day ahead of a crucial report to the Security Council from the United Nations chief weapons inspectors, Mr. Bush baited council members who oppose military action in Iraq, primarily France and Germany.
"You've got to decide when you lay down a resolution, does it mean anything?" he said, speaking at the Mayport Naval Station in Jacksonsville, Fla. The Security Council "can now decide whether or not it has the resolve to enforce its actions."
After the inspectors' report on Friday, the Security Council is expected to take up discussion of a new resolution next week that would authorize military action against Iraq — even though the United States and Britain both argue that the previous resolution, No. 1441, passed in November, gives them full authority to act
"We want a second resolution, but we have always been clear that 1441 is sufficient mandate for military action," Jack Straw, the British Foreign Secretary, told Parliament today.
Secretary of State Colin L. Powell joined Mr. Bush today in pressuring France and Germany to support a new Security Council resolution calling for war. He asked: "Are you just delaying for the sake of delaying in order to get Saddam Hussein off the hook and no disarmament? That's the challenge I will put to them."
But the opponents to military action seemed little moved by the escalating campaign for war emanating from Washington and London.
Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin of France said today that he detected an improvement in Iraq's handling of United Nations weapons inspections in recent days. The change, he said, "is going in the right direction."
France has proposed tripling the number of weapons inspectors in Iraq and allowing them more time to do their work — an idea the United State and Britain vigorously oppose.
Preparations for war continued today, even though President Bush said once again that he had yet not decided whether to order a military attack. More than 150,000 American forces are now stationed in or near the Persian Gulf. In addition, about 45,000 British forces are on the ground or en route. Four American air craft carriers, each with 50 planes, along with accompanying fleets of missile firing ships and submarines, are also in the region.
Pentagon officials said the Iraqi military had begun moving explosives to the southern part of the country with the intent of using them to blow up bridges, burst dams and ignite oil fields as part of a strategy of slowing an American attack. Military officials were divided on the question of whether they could effectively counter that strategy.
Mr. Powell expressed concern today about Iraq's Al Samoud 2 missile, which has a longer operational range than is allowed under United Nations rules, weapons experts told the United Nations on Wednesday.
"This is a serious matter," Mr. Powell said. "It shows continued Iraqi noncompliance."
But Iraq countered today that there had been a misunderstanding. Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz said the experts examined the missile without its payload or guidance system loaded on board. With that extra weight, he added, the Al Samoud 2 would be limited to the 90-mile range allowed by the United Nations.
"There is no serious violation," Mr. Aziz said in Rome, where he plans to meet with Pope John Paul II on Friday.
"It should not be exaggerated," Mr. Aziz said. "We are still within the limits that have been decided by the U.N."
Mr. Aziz added that, in terms of the Security Council's resolutions, "We are cooperating and doing our best."
Mr. Powell, appearing before the House Budget Committee, said the American people should be "prepared for a long-term commitment to Iraq." In congressional testimony on Tuesday, other State Department officials said the American presence in Iraq would probably last two years.
Mr. Powell said the American military would take charge of Iraq initially but would quickly turn the authority over to a political figure, from the United States or another country.
"We would try as much as we can to build on the structure that is already there," he said. "The challenge would be to put into place a representative leadership."
Meanwhile, Gen. Richard B. Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee today that friendly members of NATO were working to supply Turkey with the defensive capabilities it needs — even though France, Germany and Belgium have blocked NATO from fulfilling Turkey's request for aid. Another meeting to settle the NATO deadlock was canceled today after Germany announced that it would not be prepared to give a decision before Saturday.
The other 16 nations that are members of NATO, General Myers said, are "looking at ways to deploy what Turkey needs without political support" from NATO.
The Turkish foreign minister, Yasir Yakis, was in Washington today for talks.
In Israel today, the military issued an emergency call-up of reservists to operate Patriot antimissile batteries that have been deployed there in recent weeks. During the 1991 Persian Gulf war, Iraq fired 39 Scud missiles at Israel, causing limited damage and leading to the death of two people, one of whom suffocated in his gas mask. |
