Aziz's welcome fuels US anger
against Europe
From Richard Owen in Rome
IN SUIT and tie rather than his trademark military
uniform, Tariq Aziz, the Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister,
flew into Rome yesterday amid a deepening rift
between Washington and the Vatican.
His five-day visit to Rome and Assisi has infuriated
the Bush Administration and worsened the United
States’s strained relations with Europe.
The Bush Administration has complained vigorously
to the Vatican that the Pope, who receives Mr Aziz
today, has sent an envoy to Baghdad but not to the
US. America has sent a conservative Catholic
scholar, Michael Novak, to persuade the Vatican
that it was pursuing a “just” war.
Vatican officials point out that Donald Rumsfeld, the
US Defence Secretary, did not find time to call on
the Pope when in Rome last week for talks with
Signor Berlusconi. The Vatican has considered
sending Cardinal Pio Laghi, a former ambassador to
Washington, as an emissary to the US, but instead
the Pope sent Cardinal Roger Etchegaray to
Baghdad. He is due to meet Saddam Hussain
tomorrow.
Mr Aziz said that the US’s real intentions were “oil
and domination” and praised the Vatican for “doing
their best to stop this aggression”. He said that the
US had “made up its mind to attack whatever
concessions Iraq makes” and that, consequently, he
would not invite the Pope to visit Baghdad
because“we cannot guarantee his security”.
Later he said that UN weapons inspectors would be
able to prove Iraq did not have weapons of mass
destruction if given enough time.
On the eve of the UN Security Council briefing by
Hans Blix, the chief weapons inspector, Mr Aziz
dismissed charges that Iraq’s al-Samoud 2 missile
is in breach of UN resolutions.
“The main problem is that Iraqi missiles of a short
range do not have a guidance system, and when a
missile does not have a guidance system it can go
five, ten or fifteen kilometres beyond target,” he said.
“That is not very dangerous and must not be
exaggerated.”
At the Italian Parliament Mr Aziz met leaders of the
Centre Left Opposition. Despite his strident
criticisms of the Berlusconi Government for its
support of Mr Bush’s policies on Iraq, many on the
Right were also keen to “share the TV limelight”.
Franco Frattini, the Foreign Minister, said that he
would meet Mr Aziz today, but would “firmly insist
that Iraq disarm immediately, totally, and effectively”.
Roberto Formigoni, the Centre Right President of
Lombardy and an “old acquaintance” of Mr Aziz,
claimed after meeting him that there was “still a
chance for peace”.
Mr Aziz added that he would put his uniform back on
and fight if war broke out. Asked if Iraq would use
“non-conventional weapons”, he replied: “We don’t
have weapons of that kind, consequently we cannot
use them. We had them in 1991, but did not use
them then.” Iraq was “merely the first to pay the
price of the new post Cold War American
arrogance”. |
