“Saddam Hussein and his sons must leave Iraq within 48 hours,” Bush

By Tarik Hamdi, IOL Washington Correspondent

WASHINGTON, March 18 (IslamOnline.net) – U.S. President George Bush early Tuesday, March 18 (01:00 GMT), issued an ultimatum to Saddam and his sons to leave Iraq within 48 hours as the only way left to save their country from destruction and war.

The American President, whose 13-minute speech was rooted in his doctrine of pre-emption, declared that the U.S. had the ‘sovereign’ authority to declare war. The President, without naming France, concluded that such an authority was invoked when a member of the UN Security Council aborted the Anglo-American resolution that sought UN authority for the steps that he announced today - the regime change.

In offering his argument for pre-emption, Bush spoke about the future possibilities that may accrue if Saddam was left to his own volition. In order to further bolster claims to legitimacy of his decision, the President utilized the ‘fighting terrorism’ theme, stating that Saddam could pass along dangerous weapons to “terrorists”.

To further highlight the terrorism aspect, Bush also put the homeland defenses of the United States on a high "orange" alert status, with additional security at air and seaports and other critical facilities.

In singling out Saddam and his sons, President Bush effectively indicated that any member of the Baathist regime would be acceptable to him as long as it fulfilled his desire of a “regime change” in Iraq. The President sought to make the American public understand that Iraq would not be an overnight affair but that the American goals would be obtained over time.

In his justification of going to war without UN mandate, the President invoked ‘sovereign authority’ without any mention of the ‘legality’ crafted by the British Attorney General Lord Goldsmith, who in a written parliamentary answer stated that the authority to use force against Iraq stemmed from the combined effect of resolutions 678, 687 and 1441, is at best an enforced interpretation.

Instead of commenting on the resolutions in question, he merely stated: "All of these resolutions were adopted under Chapter VII of the UN Charter which allows the use of force for the express purpose of restoring international peace and security."

Bush spoke about Saddam being threat to neighbors, indirectly implying Israel. However, he did not single him out for actions against Iran or the Kurds.

The American President offering conciliatory terms to the Iraqi military and bureaucracy asked them not to follow Saddam’s orders to destroy oil wells or unleash weapons of mass destruction. In warning the military against destroying oil installations, the President stated that this source of wealth belongs to the Iraqi people. However, this warning was also designed to assuage fears that oil supplies may be affected, and so the economy.

Bush was careful in avoiding the mention of an “Iraqi government” and consistently talked about the regime. However, his singling out Saddam and his two sons indicates that the definition of the regime may not include other elements of the Saddam apparatus.

The President, speaking on such an important issue, was brief and to the point, which helped him avoid giving any details of his plan. Also, he did not find it necessary to dilate in detail on any defense of his argument of ‘sovereign authority’ and the right of pre-emption.

The speech was not designed to cater to world opinion but to American opinion alone as  he stated that duty to exercise this nation’s ‘sovereign authority’ “fell to me as commander in chief by the oath that he promised to keep”.

Click Here for the Text of Bush Statement