Saturday, Mar 15, 2003
Saturday, Mar 15, 2003 |
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By Sridhar Krishnaswami
The Azores belongs to Portugal which is backing the U.S. in the showdown with Iraq by offering logistical support in the event of war. Portugal has also granted permission to the U.S. for the use of the Lajes Field Air Base in the island chain. The three leaders will be discussing ways to win United Nations backing for disarming Saddam Hussein, with a resolution sponsored by the three nations floundering in the Security Council. The Bush administration is now saying that it will pursue the resolution next week. Officials are also making it known that the Azores summit will not be discussing detailed military plans of the U.S. in the event of a showdown with Iraq. But Sunday's meeting could see discussions on a post-war political Iraq. Some of Mr. Bush's advisers are apparently of the view that the administration should cut its losses and pull out the resolution. The impression is that if the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, wishes to have one final diplomatic push, Mr. Bush will agree to this idea. But the clear signals are that even if the U.S. did not press for the vote in New York, military operations are very much on the cards. "The day of reckoning is fast approaching", the Secretary of State, Colin Powell, told lawmakers on Capitol Hill. The administration did not just have the problem of the U.N. vote on Thursday. Another setback came from Turkey which did not readily agree to the use of facilities in the event of a military showdown. In the aftermath of high-level conversations, the indications are that by the time Turkey makes up its mind, it might just be too late for American calculations. The U.S., which has been maintaining that it did not need another resolution authorising the use of force, is going ahead with the final preparations for a military strike. Several Stealth bombers left their base for Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. They will be the first line of an expected punishing air campaign that Washington will be unleashing in the event of a war with Iraq. Meanwhile in New York, the U.N. Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, is said to be studying the possibility of a summit of world leaders, not just nations represented on the Security Council, with a view to finding a compromise over the current crisis. Recently, France suggested a meeting of the leaders represented in the Council, but the Bush administration brushed aside the idea very quickly. Interestingly, Mr. Bush said nothing this morning about Iraq or the upcoming summit meeting in the Azores when he, along with his Secretary of State, Colin Powell, came to the Rose Garden to make a short announcement on why there was the delay in the West Asia plan. There was a lot of interest on what Mr. Bush might say about Iraq and in the future game plan of the U.S. at the United Nations and elsewhere. But Mr. Bush merely read a statement and took no questions. At the Rose Garden, Mr. Bush argued that his administration would unveil the peace plan which has the goal of a Palestinian state when the Palestinians confirm their new Prime Minister. "Immediately upon confirmation, the road map to peace will be given to the Palestinians and the Israelis." Mr. Bush further stressed that as progress "is being made toward peace, settlement activity in the occupied territories must end".
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