Of course SA and Kuwait are working with us:
meib.org
Egypt too.
And regime change is not a new goal: cnn.com
I did a month by month Google search from his inauguration on, to pick up what this admin was saying or doing about Iraq pre 9/11. I discovered along the way that the attacks on radar systems were pretty common: 7 in his first 2 months, 32 in the final 9 months of the Clinton admin.
Less than a month after inauguration: europe.cnn.com
defenselink.mil
Bush Says Raid Sends Message to Hussein
By Gerry Gilmore and Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Feb. 23, 2001 -- President Bush said Feb. 22 that recent coalition air attacks against Iraq sent a strong message to Saddam Hussein that “this administration will remain engaged” in Southwest Asia.
Bush, speaking at his first White House press conference, also said the Feb. 16 raid was designed to get Saddam Hussein’s attention and to degrade his capacity to harm coalition pilots patrolling the no-fly zones.
Bush said Secretary of State Army Gen. (Ret.) Colin Powell would address the issue of Iraq during an upcoming Middle East trip. “The Secretary of State is going to listen to our allies as to how to best effect a policy, the primary goal of which will be to say to Saddam Hussein, we won’t tolerate you developing weapons of mass destruction, and we expect you to leave your neighbors alone,” Bush said.
Bush said Powell would review the sanctions policy with Gulf states. He said sanctions that work are sanctions that “reflect the collective will of the region.”
Bush said he is investigating whether Chinese workers are helping Iraq construct military facilities. “It’s troubling that [the Chinese would] be helping Iraq develop a system that will endanger our pilots,” Bush said. While not proven, evidence indicates the Chinese may be helping lay fiber optic cable that links Iraqi air defense assets together. Bush said it has risen to the level that the United States will discuss the situation with the Chinese.
News reports indicate U.S. munitions missed several radars in the attacks around Baghdad. Reporters asked Bush about whether the mission was successful. “My job as Commander- in-Chief is to get input from the commanders in the field, and we will do everything needed to protect our pilots, to protect the men and women who wear the uniform,” Bush said.
At the Pentagon, spokesman Navy Rear Adm. Craig Quigley would not comment on what munitions did not work, but did say the raid was effective. “Of the various radars that were struck on Friday as part of that overall strike, we have seen only two of them be turned back on subsequent to the strike on Friday,” Quigley said.
He said he does not know whether the radars are not working because of the strike or because the Iraqis are fearful of another strike. In either case, it is immaterial. “I'm not so sure that it matters, at the end of the day,” he said. “If my goal is to protect the coalition air crews from being shot at as they patrol the no-fly zone, then whether or not we have destroyed a system or they simply don't use it, my objective has been accomplished.”
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His press conference: whitehouse.gov
Q Sir, the Secretary of State is departing for the Middle East tomorrow. One of the things that he will be discussing with Middle East leaders is the possibility of modifying sanctions on Iraq, and I'm wondering what message he will take from this administration to leaders in the Middle East in the area of sanctions that matter, sanctions that are effective on the regime, but do not carry with them the same level of criticism that current sanctions have had in that they affect the Iraqi civilian population more than they do the regime, sir.
THE PRESIDENT: We're reviewing all policy in all regions of the world, and one of the areas we've been spending a lot of time on is the Persian Gulf and the Middle East. The Secretary of State is going to go listen to our allies as to how best to effect a policy, the primary goal of which will be to say to Saddam Hussein, we won't tolerate you developing weapons of mass destruction and we expect you to leave your neighbors alone.
I have said that the sanction regime is like Swiss cheese. That meant that they weren't very effective. And we're going to review current sanction policy, and review options as to how to make the sanctions work. But the primary goal is to make it clear to Saddam that we expect him to be a peaceful neighbor in the region and we expect him not to develop weapons of mass destruction. And if we find him doing so, there will be a consequence.
We took action last week, and it may be on your mind as to that decision I made. The mission was twofold -- one was to send him a clear message that this administration will remain engaged in that part of the world. I think we accomplished that mission. We got his attention.
And secondly, the mission was to degrade his capacity to harm our pilots who might be flying in the no-fly zone. And we accomplished that mission, as well.
Q Sir, if I could follow up --
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, John, go ahead.
Q How would you characterize sanctions that work, sir?
THE PRESIDENT: Sanctions that work are sanctions that when a -- the collective will of the region supports the policy; that we have a coalition of countries that agree with the policy set out by the United States. To me, that's the most effective form of sanctions.
Many nations in that part of the world aren't adhering to the sanction policy that had been in place, and as a result, a lot of goods are heading into Iraq that were not supposed to. And so, good sanction policy is one where the United States is able to build a coalition around the strategy.
Also:
Q Mr. President, on Iraq, what is your understanding of the Chinese presence in Iraq, especially with regard to constructing military facilities? And do you see anything that you see as a violation of U.N. sanctions?
THE PRESIDENT: We're concerned about the Chinese presence in Iraq, and we are -- my administration is sending the appropriate response to the Chinese. Yes, it's troubling that they'd be involved in helping Iraq develop a system that will endanger our pilots.
Q That is what they're doing, sir, you're convinced that is --
THE PRESIDENT: We think that may be the case. Let me just tell you this -- it's risen to the level where we're going to send a message to the Chinese.
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DoD report:
defenselink.mil
Perfect example of Arab govts' duplicity:
afsc.org
War drums begin in 3/01
fas.org
Declining support for sanctions
saveageneration.org
DOD assessment of Iraq's WMDs
fas.org
This provides some detail about what Saddaam may be up to, as of 2 months before 9-11:
iraqwatch.org
3 weeks before 9-11, a lot of evasion on Iraq questions:
defenselink.mil
defenselink.mil
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