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Politics : DON'T START THE WAR -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: epicure who wrote (13586)	2/27/2003 9:49:10 AM
From: Ed Huang	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 25898

Bush Pushes Iraq War; China, Russia Seek More Time Thu February 27, 2003 07:11 AM ET By Evelyn Leopold and Steve Holland UNITED NATIONS/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Attempting to win over reluctant U.N. Security Council members ahead of a key meeting on Thursday, President Bush said toppling the Iraqi government would be a step toward Middle East peace. The Security Council was to hold its first meeting on a U.S.-British-Spanish draft resolution that laid the groundwork for war on Iraq by saying President Saddam Hussein had "failed" to meet disarmament demands. Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix bluntly said on Wednesday there was evidence of "increased activity" by Baghdad but it was still not clear Saddam had made a "fundamental decision" to disarm. The prospect of war hit world markets as crude oil prices reached a 12-year high and the dollar fell to its lowest level in almost six months against the Japanese yen. Despite intense lobbying, the United States has yet to secure the support of nine council members needed for its passage or assurance that none of the five permanent Council members would veto the resolution. Critics say a war on Iraq would destabilize a region already beset by years of Israeli-Palestinian violence and that a prolonged military occupation of that country would fuel terrorism. But in a speech to the American Enterprise Institute in Washington on Wednesday Bush sought to ease those concerns, saying success in Iraq could begin a new stage for Middle East peace ending in a democratic Palestinian state. RUSSIA, CHINA UNCONVINCED "America will seize every opportunity in pursuit of peace. And the end of the present regime in Iraq would create such an opportunity," he said. "We will remain in Iraq as long as necessary, and not a day more." A senior Bush aide, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the president offered his post-Saddam vision now because ending the Iraq crisis peacefully "is becoming more remote." Veto-wielding Security Council members China and Russia, however, remain unconvinced and on Thursday restated their position that war against Iraq "can and should be avoided." "Both sides reiterate their determination to render their full efforts for promoting a political solution to the Iraqi issue," said a joint communique issued by the two countries' foreign ministers in Beijing. The United States and Britain are deploying tens of thousands of troops in the Gulf in preparation for war to force Iraq to give up banned weapons of mass destruction -- which it denies having -- and topple Saddam from power. Turkish and U.S. officials struck a final deal on military co-operation, setting out a role for Turkish troops in northern Iraq, that should bolster Washington's hopes a parliamentary vote on U.S. troop deployments will go in their favor. Turkey's parliament was due to debate 8 a.m. EST, probably in a secret session, a resolution allowing 62,000 U.S. troops to use Turkey for an assault across Iraq's northern border. A vote could be held on Thursday or Friday with U.S. troops landing in Turkey on Monday at the earliest. Military analysts say the front, relieving a possible main invasion force from the south, could shorten any war and limit U.S. casualties. COUNTDOWN No vote is expected on the U.S.-backed draft resolution in the Security Council for about two weeks. In the meantime, Iraq is faced with a critical test of its cooperation. Blix has said Baghdad must begin destroying its al-Samoud 2 missiles by Saturday. So far, Baghdad has not said whether it will comply. Blix delivers a written report to the Security Council on Friday before appearing in a session on March 6 or March 7. On Wednesday Blix offered his most critical remarks since January saying: "Full cooperation or a breakthrough? No, I don't think you can say that. We have a very long list of disarmament issues and it will require a big effort in order to clarify all of those." Diplomats said, however, they did not expect Blix's written report to contain such precise language, which would give ammunition to both the United States and Britain's case for war. Adoption of a resolution in the 15-nation council needs a minimum of nine votes in favor and no veto from its five permanent members, the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China. France, Germany and Russia are pushing a counter proposal that would intensify U.N. arms inspections and continue them for at least four months. Two close U.S. allies on Iraq, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, have pressed Washington to launch a new Israeli-Palestinian peace initiative. Aznar said in a Wall Street Journal interview it was important for Bush to push for progress on the Israeli-Palestinian issue to win support on Iraq in a European Union badly divided over the prospects of war. An EU delegation led by Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou was in Washington on Thursday for talks with Secretary of State Colin Powell and national security adviser Condoleezza Rice to press for the immediate publication of a "road map" toward creation of a Palestinian state. reuters.com