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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lazarus_Long who wrote (294059)	9/7/2002 1:37:02 AM
From: calgal	Respond to of 769667

Time to remind allies of Saddam's bullying ways Our view: Revved-up diplomacy can help Bush sway foreign critics. Iraq's brutal dictator, Saddam Hussein, has long lived up to a first name that could not be more apt: In Arabic, it means "one who confronts." But recent protests from U.S. critics around the world have painted President Bush instead as the confrontational bully who is throwing his weight around without regard for international law. From Germany to Russia to Pakistan, foreign leaders are urging Bush to refrain from a go-it-alone attack on Iraq to oust Saddam. Nobel Peace laureate Nelson Mandela, the former president of South Africa, summed up much of the global concern about Bush's intentions when he joined the chorus Monday, warning that as the world's only superpower, the USA and its leaders "must be exemplary in everything they do." Yet the focus on Bush is turning attention away from the actual outlaw. Since he signed a United Nations cease-fire agreement to end the 1991 Gulf War, Saddam has repeatedly and defiantly violated the accord's provisions — by using oil revenues to buy arms, sending Iraqi aircraft over no-fly zones, barring U.N. inspectors from dismantling chemical and biological weapons, and trying to acquire nuclear weapons. Bush has an opportunity to turn the world's attention to where it belongs when he addresses the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 12. He needs to lay out a strong case against Saddam — and persuade allies that Baghdad's new offer to negotiate a return of U.N. inspectors is a delaying tactic to keep the focus on Bush and off Iraq. The Gulf War proved swift in large measure because the first Bush administration overcame similar skepticism from U.S. allies to form a strong coalition committed to driving Iraqi forces out of Kuwait. So far, however, this Bush administration has been missing in action on the needed diplomatic effort. Though polls show that Americans agree Saddam is a menace and should be removed from power, they want allies on board before Bush launches a military campaign. An August USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll showed that only 20% support U.S. forces acting alone. Some administration officials shrug off the need to court allies and insist the president has the authority under existing U.N. resolutions to order an attack on Iraq because of its violations of the cease-fire accord. But that needlessly puts the entire burden on U.S. forces, and taxpayers, while encouraging an anti-American backlash around the world that would weaken allies' resolve to stay in the broader fight against terrorism. A better way is to engage in intense diplomacy that would reunite at least part of the Gulf War coalition. Several allies, including Britain and Turkey, say they want U.S. help to sell their citizens on the need to take on Saddam again. Some moderate Arab leaders who publicly oppose a U.S. attack privately support Saddam's ouster. And opponents such as German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder have signaled that they could be brought around if Bush presents a compelling case. Among the arguments he can make: Weapons inspections. Saddam expelled U.N. weapons inspectors in 1998, accusing some of being U.S. spies. During the previous seven years, inspectors uncovered and destroyed arsenals of biological and chemical weapons aimed at giving Saddam dominance over the oil-rich Middle East. They also found plans and material for building nuclear weapons. Iraqi forces obstructed the inspectors at every turn, and much of what they found came from tips provided by Saddam's sons-in-law who defected in 1995. Iraq is now refusing to allow U.N. teams unfettered access to search for weapons that might still be hidden. Economic sanctions. First imposed in 1990, the U.N. sanctions were supposed to prevent Saddam from using oil money to rearm. But they have failed to prevent him from selling oil on the black market, and international resolve to maintain strict enforcement of the sanctions has collapsed. A 1996 U.N. "oil-for-food" program allowed Saddam to sell $10 billion a year in oil to feed his people and buy medicine. But much has been diverted to loyal supporters and the military. Meanwhile, Iraq, which sits on the world's second-largest known oil reserves, is negotiating trade deals with France, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey and others. No-fly zones. Iraqi forces in 1999 began frequent missile and anti-aircraft attacks on U.S. and British planes patrolling two no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq. The zones protect Iraq's minority Kurds and Shiites. Incidents so far stand at more than 300. When Bush speaks to the U.N. one day after the Sept. 11 anniversary, it also will be exactly a year since world leaders pledged to follow a U.S.-led war against the terrorists who attacked New York and Washington. The timing provides a potent reminder of the importance of getting similar unity as he prepares to take on a new enemy. usatoday.com