 |
|
Bush
for the first time demanded the right for inspectors to interview
witnesses to Iraq's alleged weapons programs
|
CINCINNATI,
Ohio, October 8 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – In a prime-time
speech aimed at skeptics and critics of his Iraq policy, U.S. President
George W. Bush claimed that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein threatens the
United States and its allies and that the danger "only grows worse
with time".
Bush,
seeking support for immediate action against what he described as
"a homicidal dictator who is addicted to weapons of mass
destruction," demanded Monday, October 8, threatened the Iraqi
President to disarm or face war.
"The
time for denying, deceiving and delaying has come to an end. Saddam
Hussein must disarm himself – or… we will lead a coalition to disarm
him," Bush said, quoted by Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Aides
said Bush's speech was meant as a summation of the case against Iraq, as
well as a point-by-point rebuttal of reasons not to act swiftly.
With
U.S. public opinion polls showing uneasy support for attacking
sanction-hit Baghdad, Bush claimed that "Iraq could decide on any
given day to provide a biological or chemical weapon to a terrorist
group or individual terrorists."
He
went as far as saying that Iraq may be plotting to attack the United
States with such weapons.
Wooing
not just American critics but critics of his hardline policy abroad, the
U.S. leader said Saddam was allegedly relying on scientists to develop
an atomic weapon.
"If
we allow that to happen, a terrible line would be crossed," Bush
said in his speech, which came one year to the day after he launched air
strikes on war-torn Afghanistan.
"Saddam
Hussein would be in a position to blackmail anyone who opposes his
aggression. He would be in a position to dominate the Middle East. He
would be in a position to threaten America. And Saddam Hussein would be
in a position to pass nuclear technology to terrorists," Bush said.
After
the speech, the White House released declassified intelligence
photographs it said show alleged fresh construction at sites associated
with Iraq's nuclear program.
Insisting
war is neither imminent nor unavoidable, Bush laid out what Iraq must
do: declare and destroy all of its weapons of mass destruction, end
support for terrorism, cease persecuting civilians and stop all efforts
to skirt U.N. economic sanctions.
The
president also called on Iraq to account for all Gulf War soldiers,
including a U.S. pilot, who are still missing, and said Iraqi generals
could be judged as war criminals if they followed Saddam's orders.
"By
taking these steps and only by taking these steps, the Iraqi regime has
an opportunity to avoid conflict."
Bush
also for the first time demanded the right for inspectors to interview
witnesses to Iraq's weapons programs.
"To
ensure that we learn the truth, the regime must allow witnesses to its
illegal activities to be interviewed outside the country," Bush
said. "And these witnesses must be free to bring their families
with them, so they are all beyond the reach of Saddam Hussein's terror
and murder."
Wooing
U.S. lawmakers wary of signing on to a resolution giving him
far-reaching authority to wage war on Iraq, Bush said approving the
measure "does not mean that military action is imminent or
unavoidable.
"The
resolution will tell the United Nations, and all nations, that America
speaks with one voice and it is determined to make the demands of the
civilized world mean something," he said.
The
U.S. Congress is expected ultimately to authorize Bush to attack,
strengthening his hand as he pressures the United Nations to confront
Baghdad.
In
Washington, a co-sponsor of the resolution slammed what he called the
administration's tendency to go it alone in foreign policy.
"The
problem is that in both word and deed this administration frequently
sends the message that others don't matter," Senator John Edwards
said in a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
"Unilateral
action will not win the war against terrorism. It will not stop the
spread of weapons of mass destruction."
Edwards,
a Democrat from North Carolina who does not hide his presidential
ambitions, criticized Bush for disregarding the coalition-building
efforts of past presidents in his haste to take on Saddam.
"The
administration was wrong not to build an international consensus from
the beginning," Edwards said.
Although
the White House scheduled Bush's address with the clear aim of reaching
prime-time television audiences, all three major U.S. television
networks – ABC, CBS and NBC – refused to carry it live.
The
British daily newspaper, the Times, reported that Bush's speech
was aimed at convincing Americans at home, who are ambivalent about the
prospect of war, as the weekend’s anti-war demonstrations and the
latest opinion polls both show.
According
to a CBS News/New York Times poll releases Sunday, October 6, Americans
generally support military action against Iraqi President Saddam
Hussein, and while most think war is inevitable, there is no rush to
begin it.
The
public overwhelmingly wants to get the United Nations' weapons
inspectors back into Iraq and allied support before taking any military
action, said CBS. Americans also want a congressional vote before acting
- and think members of Congress should be asking more questions about
the implications of war with Iraq, it added.
Americans
are concerned about the wider implications of war with Iraq. They
believe such a war will result in a long and costly military
involvement; they believe it will lead to a wider war in the Middle East
with other Arab nations and Israel; and that it could further undermine
the U.S. economy, CBS reported.
Americans
are also cool to the doctrine of pre-emption. They believe countries
should not be able to attack each other unless attacked first - and less
than half of Americans think the U.S., in particular, has the right to
make pre-emptive strikes against nations it thinks may attack in the
future, it said.
