“If Saddam Hussein does not disarm, we will lead a coalition to disarm him,” Bush  warned

WASHINGTON, January 29 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – In an address interrupted 77 times by applause, U.S. President George W. Bush promised Tuesday, January 28, to reveal so-called “fresh evidence” that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein tended to “dominate, intimidate or attack” with weapons of mass destruction that he could share with terrorist allies.

In an attempt to convince U.S. allies, mainly France, Germany and Russia, of the dire need to disarm Iraq by force, Bush said he would send Secretary of State Colin Powell to the U.N. Security Council on February 5 to present new evidence that Saddam develops weapons of mass destruction and is in a brazen breach of relevant U.N. resolutions, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported Wednesday, January 29.

He promised to present fresh proof of Iraq’s “utter contempt” for peaceful disarmament and vowed to use overwhelming force to triumph in any war against Saddam Hussein.

“Secretary of State Powell will present information and intelligence about Iraq's illegal weapons programs, its attempts to hide those weapons from inspectors and its links to terrorist groups,” Bush said in his annual State of the Union Address to a joint a session of the U.S. Congress.

“We will consult, but let there be no misunderstanding: If Saddam Hussein does not disarm, for the safety of our people and the peace of the world, we will lead a coalition to disarm him,” the president warned.

The U.S. president said Saddam deceives and plays hide-and-seek with the U.N. inspectors and is quite sure that Iraqi agents hides serious documents and intimidates Iraqi scientists, warning that “some crucial hours may lie ahead.”

Bush also detailed a litany of continuing Iraqi violations, including dealing with poison gases, anthrax, the concealment of mobile weapons laboratories and its refusal to allow U2 spy overflights.

“The dictator of Iraq is not disarming. To the contrary, he is deceiving,” Bush said.   

Bush further asserted that intelligence information revealed that Iraq “aids and protects terrorists,” including members of Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda network. 

“Evidence from intelligence sources, secret communications, and statements by people now in custody, reveal that Saddam Hussein aids and protects terrorists, including members of Al-Qaeda.

“Secretly, and without fingerprints, he could provide one of his hidden weapons to terrorists, or help them develop their own,” Bush said.

U.S. Military Juggernaut Could be Used   

Branding Saddam as a recalcitrant dictator who oppresses his own people and threatens others, Bush vowed to throw “the full force and might” of the U.S. military into any war with Iraq as he sought to rally the nation behind his bid to disarm Saddam Hussein.

He warned the tens of thousands of U.S. troops gathering in the Gulf could stand ready to deter the Iraqi regime, adding that said the world could not wait for an imminent threat to disarm Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and predicted that if war broke out the United States would prevail.

“If war is forced upon us, we will fight with the full force and might of the United States military - and we will prevail,” Bush continued.

N.Korea, Iraq, Iran Still “Gravest Danger”

Bush made it clear that “outlaw regimes” such as Iraq, North Korea and Iran that seek nuclear, chemical and biological weapons pose the “gravest danger” to the United States and the world. 

“Today the gravest danger in the war on terror ... the gravest danger facing America and the world ... is outlaw regimes that seek and possess nuclear, chemical and biological weapons,” Bush said.

However, the U.S. “wartime” president did not repeat the controversial “axis of evil” phrase from his first State of the Union speech last year, but he reaffirmed their threat.

“These regimes could use such weapons for blackmail, terror, and mass murder. They could also give or sell those weapons to their terrorist allies, who would use them without the least hesitation,” he said.

“In Iran, we continue to see a government that represses its people, pursues weapons of mass destruction, and supports terror. In North Korea, an oppressive regime rules over a people living in fear and starvation. But America will not be blackmailed,” Bush warned. 

However, Iraq remained the country where Bush gave next to no hope. He went on saying that Saddam was flouting the U.N. disarmament ultimatum and squandering his “final chance” to avert war. 

Bush Vows to Put Miedeast Peace Back on Track 

Bush, in his all-inclusive State of the Union address, also touched on the Mideast peace process. He vowed to press on with efforts to foster peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

“We will continue to seek peace between a secure Israel and a democratic Palestine,” AFP quoted him as saying he said.

Last June, Bush outlined his strategy for securing peace in the Middle East, calling for the creation of a Palestinian state living side by side with Israel.   

Washington is insisting on sweeping security, economic and administrative reforms in President Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority, as well as an end to anti-Israeli violence, in exchange for its support for a Palestinian state.

Bush Against Cloning, For AIDS Relief

Bush also voiced his opposition to human cloning and called on the U.S. Congress to pass legislation banning all forms of human cloning, because “no human life should be started or ended as the object of an experiment, (and) I ask you to set a high standard for humanity and pass a law against all human cloning.”

Bush, in addition, pushed U.S. lawmakers Tuesday to allocate 10 billion more dollars to an “emergency plan” to combat the spread of AIDS in the hardest-hit areas of Africa and the Caribbean.

He said the plan will help “turn the tide against AIDS in the most afflicted nations of Africa and the Caribbean.”  

The U.S. leader said that the “Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief,” totaling 15 billion dollars over five years, will help prevent seven million new HIV infections, treat at least two million people with life-extending drugs, and provide care for millions with the illness or children orphaned by it.