Ya know something?? I'm wondering if Mr. Ritter is a victim of mind control or something.. When one reads his 1998 testimony to the Senate, you can tell he has a very sound grasp of the authority under which he was conducting "inspections".
Here he makes a point that I've been consistently making.. That the authority for UN members (who are authorized to enforce binding UN resolutions, to use military force has a basis in UNSC 678 and 687, and such authority has not been rescinded:
existentialmoo.com
MR. RITTER: The threat of force was made back in April 1991 when the Security Council together with the vote and pushing and backing of the United States passed the original cease-fire resolution. I don't see anything that would have caused the law to be altered. Iraq has not been disarmed. I would assume that that threat of force still exists today.
**********************
And a little exchange between Sen. Biden and Ritter about what should trigger use of force:
SEN. BIDEN: I am trying to get this as clear as I can. I really mean this now. You have an absolute logic; you put together a very tight syllogism here. You have indicated that your job is to disarm. The only way you can disarm is to have access. And the only way you can have access is either with permission on the part of Iraq, or if denied, forced access. Right?
MR. RITTER: Compelled access, yes.
SEN. BIDEN: "Compelled." Well, okay, compelled. You sound like the lawyer, and I sound like the military guy. (Chuckles.) I mean, you know, compelled where I come from -- when my old man said, "You're compelled," it meant "I was forced." I mean, it was a real simple proposition. It wasn't -- you know, there wasn't much to debate. Now there is a clear logic to that, and that's what I mean when I say I respect your position. But that means that whenever your choose a target that warrants inspection and you are denied, that ipso facto at that moment the only way your position can be satisfied or sustained is if the U.N. Security Council, or the United States acting unilaterally, uses force to guarantee access. Is not that true?
MR. RITTER: Yes, sir.
And maybe one more tidbit from the Mr. Ritter you all seem to love to quote with your "no WMD mantra"..
See next post..
Hawk |
