pulsprawdziwy
04.09.02, 14:41
Wojny nie mozna wygrac dobra opinia publiczna. Czas pozbyc sie Saddama!
.S. Ships Tanks to Gulf, Bush to Make Case on Iraq
Wed Sep 4, 7:44 AM ET
By Stefano Ambrogi
LONDON (Reuters) - The United States will ship tanks and heavy armor to the
Middle East this month as President Bush ( news - web sites) tries to garner
domestic support for efforts to oust Iraqi President Saddam Hussein ( news -
web sites).
Reuters Photo
Reuters
Slideshow: Iraq and Saddam Hussein
Blair Says Saddam Must Allow U.N. Inspectors
(AP Video)
Arab Lawmakers Back Iraq
(Reuters)
Shipping sources said Wednesday the U.S. Navy ( news - web sites) had booked
a large commercial ship to carry tanks and heavy armor to the Gulf, a sign
its own vessels might have made such shipments.
The U.S. Military Sealift Command chartered a U.S.-flagged general cargo ship
to sail from the southeast U.S. coast to an unspecified Gulf port for
discharge in late September, they said.
This is the third shipment of arms and military hardware in a month using
commercial shipping, which military analysts say shows the U.S. Navy has
probably exhausted the capacity of its own fleet and resorted to the open
market.
Military analysts say the movement of heavy armor to the Gulf mirrors similar
movements ahead of the 1991 Gulf War ( news - web sites) and shows the
superpower is building up fire power in the region ahead of a military
strike.
In line with a pledge to consult on any move against Iraq, Bush will meet top
members of Congress from both parties at the White House to discuss U.S.
efforts to overthrow Saddam.
At the meeting scheduled to start at 1345 GMT, Bush could face tough
questions from a Congress skeptical of using the military to achieve
a "regime change" in Baghdad.
The White House, which accuses Iraq of developing weapons of mass
destruction, says Bush has made no decision on how to proceed against the
Iraqi leader.
Bush's closest ally, British Prime Minister Tony Blair ( news - web sites),
has begun preparing the nation for war, telling Britons in his most
uncompromising speech on Iraq to date Tuesday the world should face up to the
dangers posed by Saddam.
SADDAM PROMISES IRAQIS VICTORY
Saddam, meanwhile, said Tuesday the Iraqis would emerge victorious from any
showdown with their enemies.
"We have prevailed before and we will also prevail in Umm al-Ma'arik (the
Mother of All Battles) in the end, God willing," Iraq's state television
quoted Saddam as saying in an open letter to the Iraqi people.
In Johannesburg, Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the
European Union ( news - web sites) and the United States agreed to push for
weapons inspectors to return to Iraq but the Union felt it premature to say
what would happen if Baghdad refused.
Rasmussen, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, said after meeting
Secretary of State Colin Powell ( news - web sites) at the Earth Summit the
bloc wanted a United Nations ( news - web sites) blessing for any action
against Iraq.
"There is agreement between the EU and the United States that here and now we
should concentrate our efforts on ensuring that international weapons
inspectors can get free and unrestricted access to Iraq," Rasmussen told a
news conference.
"Nevertheless, I think it is of vital importance to pursue the U.N. track."
Powell said Tuesday he was exploring proposals that would restore
inspections, which ended in 1998. In contrast, Vice President Dick Cheney (
news - web sites) said last week the inspectors could "provide no assurance
whatsoever" and could even add to the danger by giving a false sense of
comfort.
NO PROGRESS ON INSPECTIONS
The United Nations said Iraq had moved no closer to accepting weapons
inspectors despite fresh overtures by a top Iraqi official, albeit with
conditions attached.
Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz said Baghdad would discuss the return
of the inspectors in conjunction with other issues, a stance rejected by
Secretary-General Kofi Annan ( news - web sites) and members of the 15-nation
U.N. Security Council in the past.
"At this stage I cannot say they've taken a decision to allow the inspectors.
I mean they have questions," Annan told CNN after he spoke to Aziz at the
Earth Summit. His spokesman, Fred Eckhard, repeated the comments in New York.
The inspectors searching for weapons of mass destruction were pulled out of
Iraq in December 1998, on the eve of a U.S.-British bombing raid. They have
not been allowed to return.
Aziz said a comprehensive solution would involve tackling U.S. threats to
oust Iraq's leadership, American and British air patrols over the north and
south of Iraq and the lifting of sanctions imposed for Baghdad's 1990
invasion of Kuwait.
U.S. allies, Muslim countries and many other nations are wary of any
unilateral action, demanding a role for the United Nations in clarifying
Iraq's capabilities and intent, and in authorizing any attack should that
effort fail.
Arab foreign ministers began a two-day meeting in Cairo expected to focus on
U.S. threats against Iraq. Arab countries have unanimously opposed any
military action against Baghdad.
In Australia, Prime Minister John Howard sought to calm protests over
possible Australian involvement in any military action against Iraq, saying
Canberra would only send troops if it was "in the national interest."
