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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: epicure who wrote (56569)	9/2/2002 7:31:18 PM
From: epicure	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 82486

And this: The Iraq debate By Wolf Blitzer CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports WASHINGTON (CNN) -- On this Labor Day at an event in Pittsburgh, President Bush avoided what is emerging as the most controversial issue on his agenda: whether to launch war against Iraq. But contrast that silence with what the president is hearing from friends around the world. Here's what former South African President Nelson Mandela said: "We are really appalled by any country whether it is a super power or a small country that goes outside the United Nations and attacks independent countries." Russia's Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, meeting in Moscow with Iraq's Foreign Minister Naji Sabri, was on the same page. "We haven't found a single fact-based argument providing that Iraq poses a threat to United States security in (Washington's) latest statements." In Islamabad, President Pervez Musharraf told CNN's Christiane Amanpour that Pakistan opposes a U.S. strike against Iraq. "I think it certainly will have an adverse effect on the Islamic world and also in the other parts. I don't think there is full support for it, even in the European Union and in other big powers -- like Russia and China being against it." In Baghdad, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein went on television to tell his citizens the United States wants to attack Iraq in order to take over its oil supplies. An attack on Iraq, he says, is an attack against the entire Arab world. Indeed, the Iraqi diplomatic offensive against the United States is unfolding around the world -- including at the World Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa. That's where Iraqi deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz is now scheduled to meet Tuesday with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. At issue: whether those U.N. weapons inspectors will return to Iraq. On Sunday, Aziz told me don't hold your breath. "It's a non-starter because it's not going to bring about a conclusion, Wolf. It's not going to bring about a conclusion." But 24 hours later, Aziz says inspectors may still have a role to play. A White House official ridiculed Aziz's statements -- saying the Iraqis change their position more often than Saddam Hussein changes his bunkers. At the same time, White House officials insist there's no real division among top administration policymakers -- even though Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Colin Powell appear to be at odds over the value of getting those U.N. weapons inspectors back into Iraq. This debate over Iraq, I dare say, is only just beginning. But if President Bush eventually signs off on an attack, he will need to do plenty of explaining to get his friends and allies around the world, the American public and Congress, and even his own administration on board.