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To: Professor Dotcomm who wrote (89734)	9/18/2002 2:36:09 PM
From: Gary H	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 116785

hermes-press.com

To: Professor Dotcomm who wrote (89734)	9/19/2002 12:34:06 AM
From: Richnorth	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 116785

US and Russia differ over next step Bush urges world not to be fooled by Saddam's 'ploy' even as Russia and Arab states show support for inspections WASHINGTON - The United States is getting lonelier by the day in its confrontation with Iraq. Its efforts in recent weeks to prod other countries into joining its campaign to compel Baghdad to abide by United Nations (UN) resolutions to disarm appeared to unravel yesterday, in the wake of Iraq's offer to accept weapons inspection. Conflicting views were voiced at a meeting attended by (from left) Mr Powell, Mr Annan and Mr Ivanov. -- AFP This prompted President George W. Bush, for the second day running, to make forceful statements yesterday urging the world not to be fooled by what he called Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's 'ploy'. Mr Saddam was becoming 'more and more of a threat to world peace', he told reporters after a meeting with Congressional leaders. The world 'must rise up and deal with this threat, and that's what we expect the Security Council to do', he said. He promised to reveal in the next few days his proposal for a congressional resolution on Iraq. United States officials said he wants authority to use 'all appropriate means' to counter Mr Saddam. US congressional leaders appeared to fall in behind Mr Bush yesterday, with Senate Majority leader Tom Daschle asking him to send a resolution on Iraq to Congress without delay. But the Iraqi about-face on weapons inspection clearly undercut Washington's efforts to forge an international coalition. The stiffening opposition was evident on Tuesday in the open clash between US Secretary of State Colin Powell and his Russian counterpart Igor Ivanov at the UN over how to deal with the Iraqi menace. 'We cannot just take a 1 1/4 page letter as the end of this matter,' said Mr Powell, dismissing the Iraqi offer, sent in a brief note to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. 'We have seen this game before.' While he pressed for a tough, new anti-Iraq resolution by the Security Council, Mr Ivanov said he saw no immediate need for new UN demands if the inspectors were dispatched quickly. 'Whether we can trust this letter or not, I think that only facts alone can corroborate this,' he said. The Arab camp yesterday also appeared to have swung behind Iraq, with Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal expressing the hope that the US would drop plans to launch a military offensive against Baghdad. His views were echoed by leaders from Egypt and Algeria, among others. As the diplomatic tussle continued, UN arms inspectors in New York and Iraq's top arms experts agreed to meet in Vienna in about 10 days' time to discuss logistics for the inspectors' return. But all the high-powered wrangling might not count for much. American observers told The Straits Times yesterday that even if Iraq won the UN battle, that was unlikely to halt the Bush administration's plans to use force to effect a 'regime change' in Iraq. Said analyst Norman Solomon:'I believe the US is ready, willing and able to launch a massive military assault on Iraq without the passage of an authorising resolution from the UN Security Council.' That view was backed by events on the ground as the US military forged ahead with preparations for war, ordering planes patrolling the Iraqi no-fly zones to attack command and communications on the ground, while making plans to base B-2 stealth bombers on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia to bring them closer to Iraqi targets.