[A-List] US imperialism: Iraq

["Keaney Michael" <Michael.Keaney@xxxxxx>]

Bush aide calls on Iraqis to kill leader
One bullet is cheaper than war, declares spokesman.

WILLIAM TINNING
The Herald, 2 October 2002

THE White House yesterday said it would welcome the assassination or
exile of Saddam Hussein by his own people, which would be cheaper than
going to war with Iraq.

Ari Fleischer, a spokesman for George W Bush, said the US president had
not made any decision about military action or what military option he
might pursue against Iraq.

However, asked about estimates by the congressional budget office that
fighting a full-scale war with Iraq would cost America up to £5.7bn a
month, he said: "I can only say that the cost of a one-way ticket is
substantially less than that. The cost of one bullet the Iraqi people
take on themselves is substantially less than that.

"The cost of war is more than that. But there are many options that the
president hopes the world and the people of Iraq will exercise
them-selves . . . "

Asked if he was advocating Saddam Hussein's assassination by his people,
Mr Fleischer said: "Regime change is welcome in whatever form it takes."

His comments came as the US and Britain last night adopted a tough
stance, saying they would oppose an agreement reached yesterday by the
United Nations and Iraq for the return of weapons inspectors within two
weeks unless they had forceful new orders from the UN security council.

The Iraqis have said that they accept all the rights of inspections that
are laid down in previous resolutions authorising UN inspections, said
Hans Blix, the UN's chief weapons inspector.

However, the accord refuses to allow inspectors access to the vast
presidential sites.

Amir Al Sadi, the head of the Iraqi negotiation team, said he expected
the advance party of weapons inspectors to arrive in Baghdad in about
two weeks.

He declined to outline specifics of what was agreed, but suggested terms
of the inspection would be regulated by previous security council
resolutions. That would keep spontaneous inspection of Saddam Hussein's
presidential palaces - a US demand - off the agenda.

The Bush administration has been pushing for a resolution that would
eliminate the conditions imposed by the deal between Kofi Annan, the UN
secretary general, and Baghdad, severed early in 1998.

Under the deal, the inspectors were not allowed to carry out unannounced
visits to the presidential sites, encompassing a total of about 12
square miles, and had to be accompanied by a team of international
diplomats when they did enter.

That restriction would have to be lifted by the security council.

Heightened concern in the Middle East over the prospect of war led Hosni
Mubarak, the Egyptian president, to urge Iraq not to place obstacles in
the way of the inspectors.

Tariq Aziz, Iraq's deputy premier, said yesterday that the Iraqi
delegation was under instructions to co-operate fully with the
inspectors.

"Iraq will totally assist UN inspectors," he said. "That way, those
inspectors will be able to fulfil their mission and uncover the fact
that there are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq."

Jack Straw, the foreign secretary, has backed the US demand for a
stronger UN resolution before inspectors are allowed to return to Iraq.

Menzies Campbell, the Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman,
described the developments as "promising", but added: "The test of Iraqi
good faith will not be what they say, but what they do. Any repeat of
the obstruction which forced the UN to withdraw their inspectors in 1998
could have dire consequences."

Earlier, Tony Blair told the Labour conference that the international
community should let Saddam Hussein comply with the will of the UN.

Defending his co-operation with Mr Bush over Iraq, he said: "I know the
worry over Iraq. People accept Saddam is bad. But they fear it's being
done for the wrong motives.

"They fear us acting alone - so, the United Nations route. Let us lay
down the ultimatum, let Saddam comply with the will of the UN.

"So far, most of you are with me, but here is the hard part. If he
doesn't comply, then consider . . . sometimes and in particular dealing
with a dictator, the only chance of peace is a readiness for war."

Clare Short, international development secretary, warned that a
unilateral attack on Iraq by the US and its allies would precipitate the
"break-up" of the UN's authority.

Ms Short, who has already made clear her misgivings about the prospect
of a war with Iraq, refused to be drawn on whether she would be prepared
to carry on serving in the cabinet if Britain and the US decided to go
it alone.

In a BBC interview, to be broadcast today on News 24's Hardtalk
programme, she spoke of the danger of the world becoming even more
"bitterly divided" if there were military intervention without the
sanction of the UN.