Bush has vowed to lead "a coalition of the willing" against Iraq

WASHINGTON, November 20 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - The United States has begun "sounding out" some 50 countries on what they could contribute to a possible war against Iraq should Baghdad not disarm, the State Department said Wednesday, November 20.

Deputy spokesman Philip Reeker said U.S. diplomats had been instructed to ask their host governments about assistance, from combat troops and materiel to transport and logistics, they might be able to provide if Iraq does not comply with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1441 that demands disarmament.

"The United States is engaged in discussions with a large number of "like-minded" governments about what may need to be done if Iraq does not comply with Security Council Resolution 1441," he said.

Reeker would not say how many countries had been approached, but a senior State Department official said earlier that at least 50 and as many as 52 had received the requests.

The official declined to identify the countries, but said the core was "the usual suspects" of nations, such as NATO members and other close U.S. allies, like Australia, that have backed previous military action by Washington.

Britain, Canada, Denmark, France and Norway have said they have been approached by the United States for possible military help in the event of a conflict with Iraq, but indicated they had not yet decided how to respond.

Reeker said the effort had been undertaken in order to impress on Iraqi President Saddam Hussein the seriousness with which the United States takes the situation.

"Planning for potential military action is both necessary, to increase the pressure on Iraq to comply with the will of the international community, and prudent, in the event that Iraq again refuses to do so," he said.

Reeker insisted Washington, which has reserved the right to act alone in disarming Iraq of alleged weapons of mass destruction should the United Nations fail to do so, was still committed to pursuing what he called a peaceful approach.

"Our focus right now is on the Security Council resolution and we're watching to see how Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi regime go about and react to that in terms of compliance and disarmament," he said.

But he stressed the need to prepare for war and said the U.S. requests dealt with "possible participation in and support for a future coalition" against Iraq, including military contributions and other means.

"This is the beginning of a discussion that [includes] what we might do, what needs to be done, what may need to be done if Iraq does not comply," he said.

Speaking earlier ahead of a NATO summit in Prague, President George W. Bush said he will consult U.S. allies before any military action against Iraq, but that it would be up to them to decide whether and how to participate.

"If the decision is made to use military force, we will consult with our friends and we hope that our friends will join us," Bush said during a joint appearance with Czech President Vaclav Havel.

"It's a decision that each country must decide as to how, if and when they want to participate and how they choose to participate."

Bush has vowed to lead "a coalition of the willing" to disarm Baghdad by force if the U.N. Security Council is unable or unwilling to specifically authorize such action itself.

Although chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix stressed Wednesday his talks with Iraqi officials had been constructive, Washington officially asked London to mobilize troops for a possible deployment in Iraq.

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