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Bush
Cornered to Attack Iraq, Left No Face-Saving Option: Mahathir
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A
U.S. attack on Iraq would make the world unstable and unleash
attacks by those angered by this sort of arrogance: Mahathir
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Additional
Reporting By IOL South Asia Correspondent
KUALA
LUMPUR, October 13 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - While on a
visit to Brunei, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said the
United States would wage a war on Iraq because President George W.
Bush has pushed himself into a corner without any “face-saving”
option, news agencies reported Sunday, October 13.
“I
feel that the U.S. will definitely attack Iraq. War will break out
because Bush said he would attack Iraq even if the United Nations does
not agree.
“By
saying this, Bush has now pushed himself into a corner. He will have
to attack Iraq or else he will lose face,” Mahathir said.
The
aging Premier said a U.S. attack on Iraq would make the world unstable
and unleash even more terrorist attacks by those angered by this sort
of arrogance.
“Bush
will now do anything to [justify an] attack on Iraq. This war will
affect the whole world,” he added in a news report published by the
Star newspaper in Kuala Lumpur.
Mahathir
said a war would also bring about dire consequences on the whole
economy, and Malaysia would not be spared.
“Malaysia
is a trading nation. Our trade is equal to 200% of our GDP. Our trade
with the U.S. amounts to 20% of the total trade volume overseas.”
Mahathir
noted that money from many Muslim countries was mostly invested in
bonds and savings in U.S. banks and this money might have helped to
finance aggression against Muslim nations.
“So
we cannot fault others. We are the ones keeping our money in the U.S.
which indirectly helps to fund wars against Islamic countries.”
Meanwhile,
Malaysia Sunday called on the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC)
to urgently convene an emergency meeting to discuss the United States'
imminent attack on Iraq, Bernama news agency said.
Malaysian
Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said Malaysia would write to OIC
Secretary-General asking for the emergency meeting to be held
immediately for Islamic countries to oppose the attack in a unified
voice.
"I
will send the letter to the OIC Secretary-General tomorrow. We [OIC
member countries] must come out with one voice and our actions must be
integrated," he told reporters in the state of Johor.
Syed
Hamid said so far the OIC had not called for an emergency meeting and
it looked as though the OIC was waiting for others to take the
initiative to voice their protests and opposition on the war against
Iraq.
"This
is the time for all OIC member states to issue clear statements on
their respective stands and initiate diplomatic efforts and
negotiations to avert a war on Iraq.
However
on the Palestinian issue, Mahathir said Muslims would be making a big
mistake if they attack Israel blindly without strong strategies,
Bernama reported.
The
Prime Minister said Muslims are still backward in terms of techniques
and equipment of war and this could prove fatal to them.
"It's
not just the question of numbers. It's the question of Muslims having
no great strength. When we want to teach science, technology and
engineering, they say this is secular.
“Now,
they don't know how to make heavy guns, all have to be bought from
others. Other people will not sell them to us," he told reporters
on Sunday.
Mahathir
was commenting on a foreign news agency report on Saturday, October
12, regarding a call by Iran Revolutionary Guard (Pasderan) Commander
Yahyia Rahim Safari to set up a volunteer corps of 100 million Muslims
be set up to free Palestine from Israeli occupation.
Yahyia
said that if only 10 per cent of the world's one billion Muslims
joined the international force, the Israeli regime could be toppled.
Mahathir
said Muslims must first have strategies of war that would make them
victorious.
He
added that Muslims should not go to war just to satisfy emotions.
“If we want to go to war, we must do it in a way that we could win.
When angry with people, you kill people, in the end nothing will be
gained," he said.
He
also rejected the possibility of Malaysia joining the force proposed
by Pasderan because whatever move made by Malaysia to send its troops
it would be through the United Nations.
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