A rchive Date
[ 29-01-2003 ]
Category
[ International Relations ]
sub-Categoy
[ U.S ]
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[http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2003/01/28/17149-ap.html
Bush pushes anti-Iraq line
By ROBERT RUSSO
Tue, January 28, 2003
WASHINGTON (CP) - President George W. Bush began lifting the veil on secret U.S. intelligence Tuesday to bolster his argument that Saddam Hussein is relentlessly pursuing weapons of mass destruction.
U.S. intelligence officials have determined thousands of Iraqi personnel are furiously at work hiding documents and materials from the UN weapons inspectors and intimidating their scientists into silence, Bush told a global audience. The fresh accusations, based on defectors' testimony and satellite-monitored conversations, were included in the president's annual state of the union address.
The harsh rhetoric kept the United States resolutely on the road to war while preparing Americans and skeptical allies for a war that could be weeks away..
No physical proof was furnished to back Bush's claims.
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell is expected to provide specific intelligence evidence of Iraq's alleged subterfuge next week at the United Nations.
Powell is expected to produce aerial photographs as evidence Iraq has been hiding its weapons programs from UN inspectors. The photographs will show activity at suspect sites just before the inspectors' arrival and will be part of a package of evidence the White House is in the process of declassifying.
Bush accused Iraq of hiding the whereabouts of up to 25,000 litres of anthrax, 38,000 litres of botulism toxin, 500 tonnes of sarin, mustard gas and VX nerve agent and upwards of 30,000 munitions capable of delivering chemical weapons.
He employed his favourite biblical term for the diabolical.
"If this is not evil, then evil has no meaning," Bush said.
Poll after poll has indicated Bush simply had not made the case that Iraq is so serious a threat it must be dealt with immediately.
White House aides revised his address to buttress his assertion that America could not wait until the Iraqi threat matured to the point that it was too late to contain Saddam.
Bush made it clear the United States would feel free to act unilaterally if the United Nations does not sanction a military strike at Baghdad.
"The course of this nation does not depend on the decision of others," Bush said.
"We will consult but let there be no misunderstanding: if Saddam Hussein does not fully disarm for the safety of our people and for the peace of the world, we will lead a coalition to disarm him," the president said.
Bush attempted to blunt growing skepticism at home and abroad about the immediate need to confront the Iraqi president.
Americans are now pointedly asking: why war and why now?
Bush answered their questions with the following revelations:
-The British government has learned Saddam recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.
-Three Iraqi defectors said Iraq had several mobile biological weapons labs in the 1990s that are now not accounted for.
"The only possible use he could have for those weapons is to dominate, intimidate or attack," Bush said.
Although there are nearly two years to go before the next U.S. presidential election, Bush is counting on a strong performance to reverse a steady downward trend in his personal popularity.
With the U.S. economy moribund and doubt growing about the success of the war on terror, Bush's approval ratings are at their lowest since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. More than one-half of all Americans now disapprove of the way he's handled the economy.
Doubt overseas about the need to use force to oust Saddam has spread to the United States. So, Bush turned to U.S. intelligence evidence - without making that evidence public - to tie the Iraqi leader to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida. "Secretly, without fingerprints, he could provide one of his hidden weapons to terrorists or help them develop their own," Bush said.
Invoking memories of the Sept. 11 attacks, Bush said: "Imagine those 19 hijackers with other weapons and other plans - this time armed by Saddam Hussein."
While Bush kept America on a war footing, Iraq threatened for the first time to take the battle against U.S.-led troops outside its own boundaries. In a chilling echo of the Persian Gulf war, Tariq Aziz, the deputy prime minister, said: "If there will be an attack (by US troops) from Kuwait, I cannot say that we will not retaliate."
Saddam delivered an equally ominous message to a meeting of his military commanders, warning them not to contemplate betrayal.
It is extremely rare for Saddam, who surrounds himself with heavy security, suggesting that he is anxious about a possible assassination attempt, to voice publicly his fear of treason.
He warned "times of inattention," such as war, "may produce a treacherous act."
Saddam has had a dozen years to disarm and has repeatedly and systematically cheated United Nations directives to do so, Bush said.
Iraq was given a "final chance" by the UN to dismantle and destroy its weapons of mass destruction three months ago.
"He has shown, instead, his utter contempt for the United Nations and for the opinion of the world," Bush said.
"The dictator of Iraq is not disarming. To the contrary, he is deceiving."
Regimes such as Saddam's that possess weapons of mass destruction pose a grave danger to the rest of the world, Bush said.
"These regimes could use such weapons for blackmail, terror and mass murder. They could also give or sell those weapons to their terrorist allies, who would use them without the least hesitation."
Vivid reminders of the threat posed by those terrorists were everywhere around the U.S. capital.
As part of the most sweeping security measures ever for a state of the union speech, officials activated a special police and military command centre, complete with myriad surveillance screens and a battery of cameras monitoring Washington. Over 1,500 police were out in force, while all streets to the Capitol building were closed at 6 p.m. EST.
Other security measures include a 10-kilometre no-fly zone around the Capitol, with F-16 fighter jets and police helicopters patrolling the air space.
Inside the packed chamber where Bush addressed congressmen, senators and ambassadors, a single empty chair in the presidential box was meant to represent the 3,000 people killed Sept. 11.
Authorities said there was no specific threat aimed at the Capitol building but al-Qaida terrorists had hoped to pilot one of the hijacked jets used in the terrorist attacks in 2001 into the Congress. The plane crashed into a Pennsylvania field after a struggle between the terrorists and passengers.
Key points and initiatives in Bush's State of the Union address:
IRAQ
-U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell will address the UN Security Council next Wednesday on evidence linking Iraq to terrorists and on Baghdad's refusal to disarm.
-The world cannot afford to wait until the threat from Iraq is plainly imminent, Bush argues. "Since when have terrorists and tyrants announced their intentions, politely putting us on notice before they strike?"
WAR ON TERRORISM
-A new Terrorist Threat Integration Center will gather and analyze intelligence from a wide array of agencies working at home and abroad.
-Asked Congress for $6 billion over a decade to quickly make available vaccines and treatments against bioweapons such as anthrax and plague.
AFRICA AIDS
-Seeks $15 billion over five years to combat AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean.
MEDICARE
-Sought $400 billion over 10 years to change Medicare, offering older Americans the choice of programs that include prescription drug benefits.
SOCIAL SECURITY
-Renewed his call for private Social Security retirement accounts.
MEDICAL MALPRACTICE
-Urged legislators to cap certain damages in malpractice awards.
ABORTION
-Asked Congress to ban a procedure critics call "partial-birth abortion" and all human cloning.
ENVIRONMENT
-Proposed spending $1.2 billion over an unspecified period to speed the development of hydrogen-powered, zero-emission fuel cell vehicles.
DRUG TREATMENT
-Sought a $600-million increase in federal spending over the next three years to help treat Americans with drug addition.
MENTORS
-Called for $450 million over three years to connect mentors with one million children of prisoners and disadvantaged adolescents.
GROWING DEFICITS
- Confronted critics who say his tax cuts and new spending are driving deficits to record levels, saying his economic growth policies would bring in more tax revenues. He demanded "spending discipline" from legislators.
 World Fact Book (CIA)]
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