The Hindu : No imminent plans to attack Iraq: Bush

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Aug 12, 2002

International

International

No imminent plans to attack Iraq: Bush

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

Washington AUG. 11. The U.S. President, George W Bush, has said that the Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein, is "an enemy until proven otherwise'', but has said that the U.S. has no "imminent'' plans for the invasion of that West Asian country. Speaking to reporters before a round of golf in Waco, Texas, the President was asked if the American people are prepared to accept casualties.

"I think that presumes there's some kind of imminent war plan'', the President responded. "What I do believe the American people understand is that the weapons of mass destruction in the hands of leaders such as Saddam Hussein are very dangerous for ourselves, our allies'', Mr. Bush remarked.

The President was pressed on whether a determination to invade Iraq militarily would be made this year. "Not necessarily'', Mr. Bush responded going on to make the point that ''...we owe it to our children's children to free the world of weapons of mass destruction in the hands of those who hate freedom''. The President's latest remarks are very much in line with his administration's stated policy on regime change in Iraq.

At the same time the White House has been looking for ways to downplay media reports — now on almost a daily basis — of an imminent military invasion of Iraq. That "imminent'' military invasion of Iraq has unsettled many law makers on Capitol Hill, leading Republicans included. Members of the Congress not only want to be fully involved in the process leading to a military strike, but are also pressing the administration to make the "case'' before embarking on any military action. What has come to bother many in the political establishment is the aftermath of any regime change in Baghdad and if this Republican administration understood the consequences in the post-Saddam era.

Specifically the question is if this Bush administration will insist on a "democratic'' system after the overthrow of Mr. Hussein. Iraqi Opposition leaders visiting the U.S. for talks with senior Cabinet and official functionaries over the last two days here say that Washington will only back democratic change in Iraq.

"They(meaning the administration) would not support replacing one dictator with another and in the eventuality of military action that the U.S. will not carry out military action to replace one dictator with another'', remarked Sharif Ali of the Iraqi National Congress.

Mr. Ali and a dozen other leading Iraqi opposition figures were at the White House on Saturday to meet with the Vice-President, Dick Cheney and the Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld.

The Iraqi Opposition leaders also had a session with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen Richard Myers. Although neither the Vice-President's office nor the Defence Department had anything substantive to say about the White House meeting, the impression from the Iraqi opposition figures was that the Vice-President and the Defence Secretary were clear that the U.S. wants democracy in the post Saddam Hussein phase in Iraq.

It is somewhat significant that the visiting Iraqi Opposition figures had a meeting with the Defence Secretary and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Mr.Rumsfeld is regarded as one of those hawkish members of the Cabinet pushing for a military strike; and last week it was reported that all members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff support military action to get rid of Mr. Hussein from power.

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