|
Bush, Blair to Meet at Camp David on Iraq
President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, staunch allies in the showdown against Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, plan to meet Jan. 31 at the Camp David presidential retreat.The meeting is scheduled three days after the president's State of the Union address and four days after the United Nations Security Council plans to convene to hear reports from U.N. weapons inspectors. The White House hopes to use both events, plus Blair's visit, to build momentum against Saddam. Mark these dates on your calendar, folks! Bush has vowed to disarm Iraq, even if it requires military action without approval of the U.N. Iraq says it has no weapons of mass destruction, an assertion contested by the United States. Bush and Blair are under pressure not to use force unless U.N. arms inspectors find evidence of Iraqi banned weapons and the United Nations supports an attack. Blair said this week he believed the U.N. would approve military action if the inspectors found Saddam had violated a Security Council resolution, adopted Nov. 8, which gave the Iraqi leader a last chance to disarm. But he suggested Britain and America would not be stopped from taking military action by any member of the Security Council putting an "unreasonable or unilateral block down on action." January 27 - U.N. meeting, January 28 - State of the Union, January 31 - Camp David meeting, February (insert date here) - WAR! Posted by: Steve 2003-01-15 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=9282 |