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Journalism of Courage
LONDON, February 8: The United States ordered more war planes to the Gulf region and Britain said a military assault on Iraq was inevitable unless President Saddam Hussein backed down in the row over UN weapons inspections.
Russia, which opposes use of military force, pursued its efforts to defuse the crisis over Baghdad’s refusal to let UN arms inspectors, charged with eliminating weapons of mass destruction, enter so-called “Presidential sites”.
US defence secretary William Cohen ordered 19 combat planes and 23 support aircraft to the region, bringing the total number of US military aircraft there to almost 370, mostly on board three aircraft carriers in the Gulf.Cohen also begins a Gulftour from today .
British Prime Minister Tony Blair, returning from Washington where he co-ordinated policy with US President Bill Clinton, gave an explicit warning that a military attack could be imminent.
“There will undoubtedly be military action unless there is a diplomatic solution based on the firm principlethat Saddam Hussein must go back and abide by the agreement he made not to carry on developing weapons of mass destruction,” Blair said on board his aircraft. Britain, which also has forces in the Gulf preparing for a potential assault on Iraqi targets, is the only nation to give unequivocal backing to the hard US line.
British foreign secretary Robin Cook said Britain and the US would strike sooner rather than later unless Saddam allowed the UN unfettered access. “Time is running out,” Cook told BBC Television. Even as Germany offered logistical support for any military strike on Iraq, the Arab League said it would soon present a plan for a resolution to the Security Council. “We must show our solidarity for what needs to be done,” German Chancellor Helmut Kohl told the Munich conference on security policy. “It is quite clear the (US) air bases we have in Germany are and will be available to US troops,” he said.
Arab League spokesman Talaat Hamed said the outline of the plan for resolution “hasbeen studied by Arab League secretary general Esmat Abdel Meguid during his recent meetings in Baghdad with the French and Russian envoys,” and that Meguid will announce more details after meeting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
