Wednesday, Apr 23, 2003
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By Sridhar Krishnaswami
"There should be a country that is organised and arranged in a way that the various ethnic groups and religious groups are able to have a voice in their government in some form. And we hope for a system that will be democratic and have free speech and free press and freedom of religion'', Mr. Rumsfeld maintained during a press conference at the Pentagon. Iraq, in the very recent past, has been witness to some major demonstrations and some from within the Shia community have suggested forming an Islamic republic on the lines of neighbouring Iran — a notion that is clearly not welcome in Washington.
Demonstrations
The U.S. has made it known that it does not favour a form of government in Iraq where the writ of the ayatollahs run. The administration here does not seem to be overly concerned — at least on the outside — of the anti-American demonstrations; and these have been passed off as Iraqis having the right to protest in a changed environment from the past. At the Pentagon, Mr. Rumsfeld rejected right away a report that the U.S. is seeking long-term relationship with Iraq that would see the use of at least four bases in the country. "It's flat false'', Mr. Rumsfeld said, making the point that the idea has not even been discussed with him or in his presence. Quoting unnamed administration officials, The New York Times had said on Sunday that the U.S. was keen on four air bases, including the international airport on the outskirts of Baghdad. "The likelihood of it seems to me to be so low that it did not surprise me that it's never been discussed in my presence, to my knowledge'', the top administration official remarked. "Why do I say it's low? Well, we've got all kinds of options and opportunities in that part of the world to locate forces. It's not like we need a new place. We have plenty of friends'', Mr. Rumsfeld said. Further, he is making the point that he could not speculate on the future of U.S.-Iraq military relationship as there is no government yet in Baghdad. But Mr. Rumsfeld did rule out the possibility of a reduction of American forces in the Gulf region. "I would personally say that a friendly Iraq that is not led by a Saddam Hussein would be a reason we could have fewer forces in the region, rather than more. I mean, just logically''.
Chemical weapons
Meanwhile, the Pentagon has not yet officially responded to reports that U.S. weapons experts have found chemical ingredients and equipment that could be weaponised. The "discovery'' was supposedly based on information provided by a former official of the Saddam Hussein regime who was supposed to be a part of Iraq's chemical weapons programme. The scientist is said to have claimed that Iraq destroyed and buried its weapons of mass destruction, along with the equipment just days prior to the start of the war on March 20. Senior officials here are also said to be "highly sceptical'' of the information provided by the scientist.
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