Aircraft carriers may take off for Gulf

The commander of US forces in the Gulf, Marine General Anthony Zinni, was in the region today for meetings with US allies about the situation.

In an interview with CNN, Cohen said there were “a variety of aircraft carriers and battle groups that could be moved into the area, should that be necessary, and could be moved relatively quickly”.

“We would seek to carry out the UN mandate and should that be necessary we would carry out whatever assets our military leaders feel would be necessary for the situation,” Cohen said.

Cohen and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Henry Shelton, today postponed a 12-day trip to Asia in a sign that the showdown with Iraq was moving toward a military confrontation.

The aircraft carrier USS George Washington was in the Mediterranean today and would be a logical choice to send to the Gulf to reinforce the USS Nimitz, which leads a fleet of 17 warships.

Meanwhile, Iraq turned away UN arms inspectors for the ninth day in a row and threatened to shoot down the US U-2 spy plane if the current mediation talks at the UN fail.

The threats were reiterated as the Security Council prepared to vote today on a crucial resolution condemning Baghdad for raising objection to the US inspectors and flights of the reconnaissance aircraft.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammed Saeed Al Sahaf said in Baghdad yesterday that the US plane will be shot down if the current mediation talks at the UN came a cropper.

He told the state television that Iraq was not afraid of any new restrictions that may be imposed by the UN.

“Our situation cannot be worse than now,” he said, adding if compromise efforts at the world body failed, the American members in the UN arms inspection team will be expelled. “We are firm on that.”

Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz, who is in New York now, was denied an opportunity to address the Council yesterday to present his case.

“If the Security Council refuses to change their position, they cannot expect Iraq to change its,” a frustrated Aziz told reporters in New York.

Aziz said Iraq was fighting with its back to the wall and cannot be further pushed.