Das Kriegsschauspiel - Erster Akt - 500 Beiträge pro Seite

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Wednesday, January 29, 2003 Posted: 1918 GMT

Iraq: U.S. has no evidence

UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- Iraq lashed out against U.S. President George W. Bush`s State of the Union message, declaring "the bottom line is you can accuse us as much as you like -- but you cannot provide one piece of evidence."

Iraq`s U.N. ambassador Mohammed Aldouri said: "We call on the United Nations to shoulder its responsibilities to protect Iraq from this colonial administration which is blinded by its oil fever."

He also issued a warning to the United States as it prepares for a possible war on Iraq. "The American invasion did not succeed in Vietnam, and will never succeed in Iraq," Aldouri said.

The ambassador called sections of Tuesday`s address that dealt with Iraq as "business as usual from President Bush."

He added Iraqis will reject any attempt at colonialism -- just as it did when invaded by a British general in 1917.

"We will do so whenever there`s an attack on the country," he said. "Our independence is dear to us. We will spare nothing to defend it."

Aldouri also pointed to quotes from U.N. chief weapons inspectors Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei, who have said they have so far found no evidence of weapons of mass destruction programs. Bush has said U.S. intelligence shows Iraq is engaging in prohibited weapons programs.

"Iraq has implemented all resolutions related to disarmament issues," Aldouri insisted, adding that "we will go a step further and proactively cooperate with inspectors to prove these allegations are nothing but fabrications."

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Monday, January 27, 2003 Posted: 2330 GMT

Powell: Iraq`s time to disarm `fast coming to an end`

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- After U.N. weapons inspectors presented their first report to the Security Council on Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said at a news conference that Iraq "continues to defy the will of the United Nations" and "has been frustrating the work of the inspectors." The following is a transcript of his remarks.

POWELL: Well, good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

Earlier today, in accordance with U.N. Resolution 1441, Drs. [Hans] Blix and [Mohamed] ElBaradei provided the United Nations Security Council their 60-day reports on inspection activity in Iraq. We listened carefully as the inspectors reported that Iraq has not provided the active, immediate and unconditional cooperation that the council demanded in U.N. Resolution 1441.

As Dr. Blix said, quote, "Iraq appears not to have come to a genuine acceptance, not even today, of the disarmament that was demanded of it," unquote.

Let me repeat, because this is the essence of the problem. Dr. Blix said, "Iraq appears not to have come to a genuine acceptance, not even today, of the disarmament that was demanded of it."

[Resolution] 1441 is all about the disarmament demanded of Iraq. The inspectors` findings came as no surprise. For 11 years before 1441, [Iraqi President] Saddam Hussein`s regime refused to make the strategic decision, the political decision to disarm itself of weapons of mass destruction and to comply with the world`s demands.

To this day, the Iraq regime continues to defy the will of the United Nations. The Iraqi regime has responded to 1441 with empty claims, empty declarations and empty gestures. It has not given the inspectors and the international community any concrete information in answer to a host of key questions.

Where is the missing anthrax? This is not just a question of historical curiosity. It is essential for us to know what happened to this deadly material.

Where is the [nerve agent] VX? Also, not just a trivial question. We must know what happened to this deadly material.

Where are the chemical and biological munitions?

Where are the mobile biological laboratories? If the Iraqi regime was truly committed to disarmament, we wouldn`t be looking for these mobile labs, they`d drive them up and park them in front of UNMOVIC [United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission] headquarters for inspection.

Why is Iraq violating the restrictions on ballistic missiles? Why is it violating the ban on missiles with a range of more than 150 kilometers?

Where are the credible, verifiable answer to all of the other disarmament questions compiled by the previous inspectors?

Today, we heard that the inspectors have not been able to interview any Iraqi in private. We heard that the inspectors have not been allowed to employ aerial surveillance. Why not? If Iraq was committed to disarmament, if Iraq understood what 1441 was all about, they would willingly allow the kind of surveillance, they would willingly allow people to be interviewed without minders, without fear of retribution.

We have heard that they have still not received -- the inspectors have still not received -- a full list of Iraqi personnel involved with weapons of mass destruction. If Iraq no longer has weapons of mass destruction, they should willingly give the names of all who are involved in their previous programs to the inspectors for examination and interview.

The inspectors told us that their efforts have been impeded by a swarm of Iraqi minders. Why, if Iraq was committed to disarmament, would they be going to these efforts to deceive and to keep the inspectors from doing their work? Passive cooperation is not what was called for in 1441.

The inspectors have also told us that they have evidence that Iraq has moved or hidden items at sites just prior to inspection visits. That`s what the inspectors say, not what Americans say, not what American intelligence says; but we certainly corroborate all of that. But this is information from the inspectors.

And the inspectors have caught the Iraqis concealing top-secret information in the private residence. You all saw the pictures of that information being brought out. Why? Why, if Iraq was committed to disarmament as required under 1441, would [inspectors] be finding this kind of information squirreled away in private homes for any other reason than to keep it away from the inspectors?

The list of unanswered questions and the many ways Iraq has been frustrating the work of the inspectors goes on and on.

Iraq`s refusal to disarm in compliance with Resolution 1441 still threatens international peace and security. And Iraq`s defiance continues to challenge the relevance and credibility of the Security Council.

The international community`s goal was, is and remains Iraq`s disarmament. The Security Council and the international community must stand behind Resolution 1441.

Iraq continues to conceal quantities -- vast quantities -- of highly lethal materiel and weapons to deliver it. It could kill thousands upon thousands of men, women and children if Saddam Hussein decides to use these against those men, women and children or, just as frightening, to provide them to others who might use such weapons.

Iraq must not be allowed to keep weapons of mass terror and the capacity to produce more. The world community must send the clear message to Iraq that the will of the international community must be obeyed.

Last September the United Nations acted at the request of the United States. We acted through 1441 with the hope -- the president had the hope, the other members of the Security Council who voted unanimously for this resolution had the hope, that Iraq would take this one last chance presented to it by the international community to disarm peacefully.

And remember the key elements of that resolution. Iraq has been and continues to be in material breach of all of its earlier obligations. We are giving, the resolution said, one more chance to Iraq.

We put a firm list of conditions for Iraq to meet and what they should allow the inspectors to do to assist them in that disarmament.

And let`s not forget the vital part of the resolution that comes toward the end: There would be serious consequences for continued Iraqi violation of its obligation. Those serious consequences are the lever that was needed to get the inspectors in, to get the inspectors to be able to do their work, which was to assist Iraq in disarmament.

Iraqi intransigence brings us to a situation where we see that regime`s continuing to confront the fundamental choice between compliance with 1441 and the consequences of its failure to disarm.

Even at this late date, the United States hopes for a peaceful solution. And a peaceful solution is possible only if Iraq disarms itself with the help of the inspectors.

The issue is not how much more time the inspectors need to search in the dark. It is how much more time Iraq should be given to turn on the lights and to come clean. And the answer is not much more time. Iraq`s time for choosing peaceful disarmament is fast coming to an end.

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Wednesday, January 29, 2003 Posted: 2:22 PM EST (1922 GMT)

Bush talks `decisive days,` Aldouri charges `oil fever`

Australia`s Howard: Saddam `thumbing his nose` at world

(CNN) --With events moving closer to a possible war with Iraq, here is a look at some of the latest developments around the world: ROAD TO WAR?

• BAGHDAD TO BUSH: Iraq lashed out against President Bush`s State of the Union message Wednesday, declaring, "The bottom line is you can accuse us as much as you like -- but you cannot provide one piece of evidence. Iraq`s U.N. ambassador, Mohammed Aldouri, said, "We call on the United Nations to shoulder its responsibilities to protect Iraq from this colonial administration which is blinded by its oil fever." He also issued a warning to the United States as it prepares for a possible war on Iraq: "The American invasion did not succeed in Vietnam, and will never succeed in Iraq." (Full story)

• ALLIES UNALLIED: Moscow said after Bush`s State of the Union speech that it saw no grounds for the use of force against Iraq, echoing calls for caution elsewhere in Europe. In Paris on Wednesday, France`s foreign minister Dominique de Villepin welcomed Bush`s proposal to share intelligence on Iraq`s alleged weapons of mass destruction with the U.N. but was also wary of military action. In London British Prime Minister Tony Blair backed Bush. (Full story)

• BLAIR BACKS BUSH: British Prime Minister Tony Blair echoed close ally George Bush on Wednesday, claiming that Iraq had links with al Qaeda militants, while recasting himself in a role as global ambassador ahead of possible war against Baghdad. Blair flies to Washington this week to meet the U.S. president. He talked to the leaders of France, Canada, Australia, Turkey and Greece on Tuesday, meets Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi on Wednesday and will stop in Madrid en route to the United States. (Full story)

• THE UNION`S STATE: President Bush has braced Americans and the rest of the world for a possible war with Iraq, warning that America is determined in its resolve to see Saddam Hussein disarmed. In his address Tuesday evening, he spoke of "decisive days" ahead and said that America is not prepared to accept the "serious and mounting threat" posed by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and his weapons of mass destruction. Time, he said, is fast running out and the United States is prepared to act alone if necessary. (Full story)
WAR OF WORDS

• Calling the sections of the State of the Union address that dealt with Iraq "business as usual from President Bush," Iraqi Ambassador to the U.N. Mohammed Aldouri said Iraqis rejected British colonialism after their nation was invaded by a British general in 1917. "We will do so whenever there`s an attack on the country," he said. "Our independence is dear to us. We will spare nothing to defend it." Aldouri said, "Iraq has implemented all resolutions related to disarmament issues," adding that "we will go a step further and proactively cooperate with inspectors to prove these allegations are nothing but fabrications." (Full story)

• Speaking to reporters in Canberra, Australian Prime Minister John Howard welcomed the announcement that the U.S. will present evidence of Saddam Hussein`s weapons programs to the U.N. Security Council. "That puts it right at the feet of the Security Council," Howard said, "where the matter belongs. It also reminds us that Iraq has not been playing the game, Iraq has not been cooperating, Iraq has been thumbing its nose at the rest of the world, and the Security Council has got to do its job." (Full story)

• French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said France had the means to participate in a military intervention if it is approved by the United Nations. But he added: "Taking the risk of breaking with the Arab world is a heavy responsibility. The responsibility of the international community is immense. It is a question of war and peace. It is a choice one must not make lightly," de Villepin said. (Full story)
IMPACT

• Some say they were convinced. Others say they remain wary. Americans heard different emphases and varying points in President Bush`s State of the Union. An antiwar vigil in San Francisco, California, was one of several protests against preparations for possible war with Iraq in the United States on Tuesday. Another was held near the Capitol in Washington prior to President Bush`s State of the Union address there. In Edina, Minnesota, members of a group called Grandmothers for Peace demonstrated on 50th Street.

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Thursday, January 30, 2003 Posted: 0719 GMT

Eight leaders back U.S. on Iraq

Nations declare `transatlantic bond`

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Eight European leaders have declared their solidarity with the U.S. in dealing with Iraq, saying the 9/11 attacks "showed just how far terrorists -- the enemies of our common values -- are prepared to go."

In their solidarity statement published in newspapers across Europe on Thursday, the leaders of Britain, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland declared that it was vital to preserve unity and cohesion now "more than ever before."

"We know that success in the day-to-day battle against terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction demands unwavering determination and firm international cohesion on the part of all countries for whom freedom is precious," they said in the statement.

"The attacks of September 11 showed just how far terrorists -- the enemies of our common values -- are prepared to go to destroy them. Those outrages were an attack on all of us. In standing firm in defense of these principles, the governments and people of the U.S. and Europe have amply demonstrated the strength of their convictions. Today more than ever, the transatlantic bond is a guarantee of our freedom."

The joint statement is signed by British Prime Minister Tony Blair; Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi; Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar; Portuguese Prime Minister Jose-Manuel Durao Barroso; Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen; Czech President Vaclav Havel; Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy; and Polish Prime Minister Leszek Miller.

Noticeably absent were Germany and France, which have expressed opposition to the U.S. stance on Iraq and the possibility of military action to overthrow Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

White House officials said they welcome the declaration as proof of Europe`s support for President Bush`s position. It also proves that only a minority of European nations are opposed to Bush`s stance regarding Iraq, they said.
`Last chance to disarm`

Thursday`s statement also said the Iraqi government and its reputed weapons of mass destruction "represent a clear threat to world security," which the United Nations "explicitly recognised," the statement said. All nations also are bound by Security Council Resolution 1441, which was adopted unanimously last November, the statement said.

"Resolution 1441 is Saddam Hussein`s last chance to disarm using peaceful means," the statement said. "The opportunity to avoid greater confrontation rests with him. Sadly, this week the U.N. weapons inspectors have confirmed that his long-established pattern of deception, denial and non-compliance with U.N. Security Council resolutions is continuing."

The leaders` statemet also sympathises with the Iraqi people, "the first victims of Iraq`s current brutal regime."

"Our goal is to safeguard world peace and security by ensuring that this regime gives up its weapons of mass destruction. Our governments have a common responsibility to face this threat. Failure to do so would be nothing less than negligent to our own citizens and to the wider world," the statement said.

Saddam must comply with the U.N. Security Council`s resolutions, the statement continued.

"We cannot allow a dictator to systematically violate those resolutions. If they are not complied with, the Security Council will lose its credibility and world peace will suffer as a result."

The statement also said the United States and Europe share a "real bond" of shared values -- democracy, individual freedom, human rights and the rule of law.

"These values crossed the Atlantic with those who sailed from Europe to help create the United States of America," the leaders said in the statement. "Today they are under greater threat than ever."

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Thursday, January 30, 2003 Posted: 0334 GMT

Saddam: We are ready for war

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is striking a defiant tone a day after U.S. President George Bush`s State of the Union address, saying his nation is ready to "destroy and defeat" any American attack.

In a televised meeting with his military commanders on Wednesday, Saddam said the U.S. had no right to attack his country, and every American soldier is coming "as an aggressor."

"If they have illusions, by God, America will be harmed," the Iraqi leader said. "[It is] not in the American people`s interest that such harm come to it, its reputation and economy."

In a powerful address Tuesday evening, Bush braced Americans and the rest of the world for a possible war with Iraq, warning that America was determined in its resolve to see Saddam disarmed.

The U.S. president spoke of "decisive days" ahead and said America was not prepared to accept the "serious and mounting threat" posed by Saddam and his weapons of mass destruction.

Saddam said his country is ready for all possible scenarios.

"We take caution when any brute force tries to commit aggression on us by taking into account the worst possibilities and build on it," he said.

As protests mount around the world to a possible war, Iraq`s U.N. ambassador lashed out against Bush`s message, and called on the United Nations to intervene.

"The bottom line is you can accuse us as much as you like -- but you cannot provide one piece of evidence," Mohammed Aldouri said Wednesday.

"We call on the United Nations to shoulder its responsibilities to protect Iraq from this colonial administration which is blinded by its oil fever."

He also issued a warning to the United States as it prepares for a possible war on Iraq. "The American invasion did not succeed in Vietnam, and will never succeed in Iraq," Aldouri said.

The ambassador called sections of Tuesday`s address that dealt with Iraq as "business as usual from President Bush."

He added Iraqis will reject any attempt at colonialism -- just as it did when invaded by a British general in 1917.

"We will do so whenever there`s an attack on the country," he said. "Our independence is dear to us. We will spare nothing to defend it."

Aldouri also pointed to quotes from U.N. chief weapons inspectors Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei, who have said they have found no evidence of weapons of mass destruction. Bush has said U.S. intelligence shows Iraq is engaging in prohibited weapons programs.

"Iraq has implemented all resolutions related to disarmament issues," Aldouri insisted, adding that "we will go a step further and proactively cooperate with inspectors to prove these allegations are nothing but fabrications."
Will Saddam step aside?

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia`s foreign minister will meet with Bush Thursday to discuss his country`s efforts to convince Saddam to step down to avoid a war, administration officials said.

Prince Saud Al Faisal requested to meet with the president, and U.S. officials confirmed the Saudis had voiced concerns about the president`s tough talk about Iraq in his address.

U.S. officials have not discouraged efforts by Saudi Arabia and others to convince the Iraqi president to step down and head into exile, and Secretary of State Colin Powell said Wednesday that if Saddam and some of his top deputies left the country, it could provide a breakthrough.

Powell even said the United States would help find a country to accept Saddam.

But White House and other senior administration officials, including Powell, are highly skeptical Saddam will voluntarily step aside, even if faced with the prospect of an imminent U.S.-led military campaign that includes the goal of replacing the Iraqi regime.

"Suffice to say it is not one of the leading contingencies that gets discussed around here," a White House official said.

The meeting with the Saudi minister will come amid other critical diplomatic consultations.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is to meet with Bush at the White House Thursday as well, and British Prime Minister Tony Blair arrives for consultations Friday and Saturday at the Camp David presidential retreat. (Nations declare solidarity)

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Israel hat angeblich die Top Infos. Ein seltsames Spiel wird hier gespielt:

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/A/JPAr…
.

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Tuesday, February 4, 2003 Posted: 1208 GMT

UK: U.N. is victim of Iraqi spies

LONDON, England (CNN) -- U.N. arms inspectors are subject to "intimidation and psychological pressure" by the Iraqi secret service, a British report says.

The team of UNMOVIC, currently searching for any weapons of mass destruction, is constantly watched and even threatened by the Al-Mukhabarat, the British Information Service in the United States says.

The service, tied to the British Embassy, says that inspectors are investigated by Iraqi authorities even before they enter the country and then subject to 24-hour surveillance.

Being outnumbered by 200 to one, the 108 U.N. inspectors find little escape from bugged rooms, secret cameras and monitored telephone calls, the report adds.

Iraqi intelligence officers are engaged in disrupting the inspectors work but also in concealing weapons using sophisticated radar systems.

"Iraq has deliberately hampered the work of the weapons inspectors," the report says.

It adds: "The Iraqi security organisations work together to conceal documents, equipment, and materials."

In addition to the Ground Penetrating Radar, Iraqi intelligence hides documents in private homes of low-level officials, universities, rural areas, beneath hospitals and mosques.

Surveillance equipment listens in on conversations and telephone calls, while hidden video cameras monitor meetings. When inspectors get into their cars they are usually driven by a member of the Al-Mukhabarat.

The journey is then watched by security officers stationed along the way and can be disrupted by organised car crashes if the inspectors suddenly change course towards a target the Iraqis wish to conceal.

"Escorts are trained, for example, to start long arguments with other Iraqi officials `on behalf of UNMOVIC` while any incriminating evidence is hastily being hidden behind the scenes," the report says.

The job is made more difficult by the material being moved all the time, the report adds. And by Iraqi scientists being intimidated in to not speaking to inspectors.

"So the Iraqis disrupt their work and daily lives by staging demonstrations wherever they go and having stooges make threatening approaches to inspectors -- such as the Iraqis who recently tried to enter the inspectors` compound armed with knives or climbed into U.N. vehicles which were going out on an inspection. The whole effect is one of intimidation and psychological pressure," the report says.

U.N. teams began their first searches of the new year amid objections from Iraq to planned aerial inspections of suspected weapons sites. U.N. intelligence sources told CNN that helicopter surveys of Iraqi sites may have been delayed Wednesday for "technical reasons."

But the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said the matter had been the topic of discussion in a meeting between U.N. and Iraqi officials.