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Fear of Backlash From Eventual U.S. Strike on Iraq
AMMAN, Nov. 29 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Veiled threats by U.S. President George W. Bush against Iraq triggered alarm bells across capitals in the Middle East, fuelling fears that a military operation on Baghdad could destabilize the region.
Egypt and Jordan, important U.S. allies and supporters of the campaign against terrorism, both warned the U.S. against targeting Iraq, reported BBC's online news service.
The warnings came soon after European leaders expressed similar reservations, calling on the U.S. to focus its campaign inside Afghanistan.
U.S. officials, however, have refused to rule out striking against Iraq, or any other country it considers sponsors terrorism.
Egypt's foreign minister, Ahmed Maher, said that the use of force against Iraq would be a "mistake".
"It would not solve the problem and would detract from solidarity," he said.
Jordanian government spokesperson Saleh Qallab said that military action would have "negative consequences". The same phrase was echoed by Syrian foreign minister Farouk al-Shara, who warned the U.S. would be making "a fatal mistake".
Bush on Monday demanded that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein accept the return of U.N. weapons inspectors to prove he is not trying to acquire weapons of mass destruction. Asked what would happen if Saddam refused, Bush replied: "He'll find out."
On Wednesday, U.S. officials refused to spell out the full meaning of the President's words and intentions, adding to the anxiety that has gripped Middle East capitals.
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said that Bush's statement was "clear, declaratory and not requiring amplification," while his spokesman Richard Boucher stressed that Washington was watching Iraq "very, very closely."
Several Arab allies of Washington have already told U.S. officials that a strike on Iraq will have "catastrophic" repercussions for the region and could directly threaten their own regimes.
King Abdullah II of Jordan, Iraq's tiny and cash-strapped western neighbor, depends largely on Baghdad for its oil supplies and trade links.
"We have explained to the [anti-terrorism] coalition the great catastrophe if an Arab country is hit," said the Jordanian monarch, when asked about the possibility of an Arab country, notably Iraq, being attacked.
A military operation against Iraq, a sworn enemy of Washington since the Gulf War of 1991, "would mean the end of the understanding on how to fight against terrorism," Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa said Tuesday.
Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan on Wednesday said his country expects a U.S. military strike, but will still not back down on its refusal to allow the return of U.N. arms inspectors.
"The [U.S.] aggression against Iraq has not stopped for a single day. And if the aim is to expand it, the attack will be wide scale and destructive," Ramadan told the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera satellite channel.
But Western diplomats and Middle East experts saw another side of the coin.
"A real democracy in Iraq will be beneficial for many Iraqis and for Arab countries," said one diplomat quoted by Agence France Presse (AFP) on Wednesday about the possibility of a government change in Baghdad.
An Arab official noted "the American president's threat to Iraq came at a time when Washington has engaged itself firmly in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict".
"The price of a solution to the Palestinian issue appears to be a strike on Iraq," the official said.
A U.S.-brokered Middle East settlement "could ease the anti-American feelings of the Arab masses in case of a strike," the official said. An expert on U.S. foreign policy believes that since the latest world developments following the September 11 attacks on the United States, Washington is playing the role of "supreme judge," according to AFP.
"Afghanistan and the Taliban were the first target," the expert said. "Saddam Hussein, considered to be 'an evil man' for President Bush, will be the next target," he added. "In this context, Washington's priority will be to neutralize a country like Iraq rather than to take care of its Arab allies."
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