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Bush
insists on attacking Iraq, no matter what the costs may be
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Report
By Khaled Mamdouh, IOL Staff
CAIRO,
September 21 (IslamOnline) – U.S. President
George W. Bush Saturday, September 21, 2002, came one step closer to
achieving his goal of winning support for his military plans against
Iraq. Russia's Defense and Foreign Ministers, following talks with
Bush, hinted that the two former Cold War foes “inched closer
their views about dealing with the crisis”.
Before
the meeting, held late Friday, Russia’s position was firm; no
military action against Iraq, no need for new UN resolutions on the
issue of weapons of mass destruction Iraq allegedly still possesses.
After
the meeting, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov praised Bush for
"defending the U.S. stance with openness and candor. Russia's
Defense Minister hinted that the former superpower might soften its
vehement opposition to a tougher pressure on Iraq. He admitted that,
in his view, resumption of UN monitoring missions was no bar to a new
Security Council resolution that would be "harsher than any
previous one."
After
meeting the two Russian Ministers, U.S. Secretary of State Colin
Powell also highlighted the willingness of both sides to try to narrow
differences.
"I
think they are open to hear our arguments and we're open to hear their
arguments, and so the split that has been much spoken about earlier
this week I don't think is quite the split that people have
portrayed," he said.
His
Russian counterpart also downplayed the differences, indignantly
dismissing reports of a recent cooling in Russo-U.S. relations.
"I
want to disappoint those who began speculating about a chill in
Russo-US ties. There is no such thing," Ivanov said.
"Russia
and the United States are capable of working together in dealing with
threats and challenges and regional conflicts," he added.
Observers
believe that Russia has nothing at all to win from any U.S. military
attack against Baghdad. However, it seems that Bush has such
‘irresistible ways of selling his tactics,” according to some
analysts. They believe Bush will promise to help Russia deal with the
Chechen rebels, dubbed “terrorists” by Moscow, a chronicle
“problem” in the heart of former Soviet super power.
Another
opponent of unjustified military action against is France. However,
the French stance is also softening, with a French Foreign Ministry
statement Friday hinting “Paris may not veto a new UN resolution on
Iraq”.
On
September 14, Los Angeles Times reported that Bush, after struggling
for months to talk other nations into supporting his military campaign
on Iraq , began using cards they might find easier to understand: cash,
weapons, business deals and favors.
Bush's
speech Thursday, September 12, before the General Assembly of the
United Nations marked the start of intense behind-the-scenes
negotiations to see what "inducements will help convert countries
that so far have been balking, at least publicly, at joining the U.S.
campaign to strike Iraq ".
The
administration's initial focus will be on members of the United
Nations Security Council, notably Russia , France and China.
For
her part, German Justice Minister Herta Daeubler-Gmelin said that
"Bush wants to divert attention from domestic political
problems" onto Iraq.
"It's
a method that is sometimes favored. Hitler also did that," she
was quoted as saying. Even though she denied the Bush-Hitler remark
later, she did not deny the essential part concerning Iraq. That is to
say Bush is using war on Iraq as a means to cover up for domestic
problems.
“In
this light, everything is clear. The matter is not about inspections
or mass destruction weapons or even alleged links to terrorism. This
is about keeping the Americans lined up behind their administration in
its so-called campaign on terrorism. The minute this frenzy is over,
hell will break open for Bush domestically,” one political analyst
told IslamOnline Saturday.
“Bush
is facing problems with the economy, unemployment rates soaring,
financial scandals, involving senior officials and even Bush himself.
He has to keep the people focused abroad, on threats, seen and feared
only by Bush and his hawks,” he added.
