Former U.S. Secretary of State Opposes Striking Iraq

WASHINGTON D.C., Aug. 18 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Former U.S. secretary of state Lawrence Eagleburger added his voice to the growing chorus opposing U.S. military action in Iraq on Sunday, August 18.

Speaking on Fox News Sunday, the secretary of state under then-president George Bush, the father of the current U.S. president, said he did not think swift action against Baghdad was "legitimate unless the president demonstrates to all of us that [Iraqi President] Saddam [Hussein] has his finger on a nuclear, biological or chemical trigger and he's about to use it."

Eagleburger did say that "sooner or later we will have to deal with Saddam Hussein because of his general reputation, because of what I'm convinced that he has done with regard to terrorism."

Eagleburger is the most recent addition to a string of former Republican cabinet members and elected officials as well as U.S. allies in both Europe and the Middle East to voice disagreement with the current administration's preparation for an immediate military-driven regime change in Iraq.

"Why is it that we have to do it now?" he asked.

Since it was driven out of Kuwait in 1991, the Iraq nation has been subjected to sanctions by the United Nations that will not be lifted until by UN inspectors can certify that there are no weapons of mass destruction being built by Baghdad.

The sanctions have been highly criticized by a former top level UN weapons inspector. Scott Ritter, who has adamantly stated that Iraq has no qualitative weapons of mass destruction.

Eagleburger’s public stance comes amid reports that a covert U.S. program in the 1980s provided Baghdad with critical military advice at a time when U.S. intelligence agencies knew that Iraq would likely use chemical weapons in the Iran-Iraq war, the New York Times reported Sunday.

Although senior U.S. officials publicly condemned Iraq's employment of mustard gas, sarin, VX and other poisonous agents, U.S. military officers interviewed by the daily said Washington continued a highly classified program in which more than 60 officers of the Defense Intelligence Agency secretly provided to Iraq detailed information on Iranian deployments, tactical planning for battles, plans for airstrikes and bomb-damage assessments.

The program was supported by then-president Ronald Reagan, vice president George H. Bush and senior national security aides, the Times reported.

Iraq's use of poison gas in the Iran-Iraq war from 1981-1988 now is repeatedly cited by U.S. President George W. Bush and his top lieutenants as justification for a regime change in Iraq.

During the Iran-Iraq war, the United States decided it was imperative that Iran be thwarted so it could not “overrun” the important oil-producing states in the Persian Gulf.

The covert program was carried out at a time when president Reagan's top aides, including secretary of state George Shultz, defense secretary Frank Carlucci and General Colin Powell, the then national security adviser, were publicly condemning Iraq for its use of poison gas, especially after Iraq attacked Kurds in Halabja in March 1988.