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| Iraq | |||
| Saddam challenges Bush to live televised debate | |||
| 2003-02-24 | |||
| In an exclusive interview with CBS News Anchor Dan Rather, Saddam Hussein has challenged President George W. Bush to a live, international television and radio debate about the looming war. How about a steel-cage death match? Saddam envisions it as being along the lines of U.S. presidential campaign debates. The Iraqi president also flatly denies that his al-Samoud missiles are in violation of United Nations' mandates and indicates he does not intend to destroy them or pledge to destroy them as demanded by chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix. Blix had set a deadline for at least a promise by this weekend. Thataboy! You show them Sammy! You the boss! Responding to Saddam's proposal, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer tells CBS News Correspondent Mark Knoller that it's "not a serious statement." "In fact Lynn Cheney could take Saddam" Fleischer said, "This is not about a debate. This is about disarmament and complying with the worlds instructions that Iraq disarm." It's also not about inspections As for Saddam's denial of possession weapons of mass destruction, Fleischer said Saddam "is not facing reality on the issue of the al-Samoud missiles, why would his other statements have creditability?" Fleischer said it would be more helpful to the world if Saddam engaged in disarmament and not debates. Meanwhile, the U.S. and Britain readied a measure that could lead to military action while war opponents introduced a call for more inspections. Anything to avoid dealing with Sammy with anything other than words... Britain's U.N. Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock will introduce the resolution on behalf of London and Washington at a council meeting Monday afternoon, the diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "The best way to protect America is to find the killers before they kill us," President Bush told a meeting of U.S. governors at the White House. The U.S.-British resolution is expected to be accompanied by a deadline for a vote, which a spokesman for British Prime Minister Tony Blair said is expected by mid-March. The resolution will state that Iraq remains in "material breach" of U.N. resolutions ordering its disarmament and refer to "serious consequences," the diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity. It does not call for "all necessary means" to be used against Iraq. Why limit yourselves to necessary means? - try some unnecessary ones for grins as well - R & D at the Al-Kut testing range The United States and Britain believe a declaration that Iraq is in "further material breach" would be enough to pave the way for military action against Saddam. French President Jacques Chirac, meanwhile, announced that France, Germany and Russia have submitted a proposal Monday in the United Nations for step-by-step disarmament of Iraq, part of a European drive to counter U.S. pressure for military action. A 12-step program for WMD dictators? "The aim is to establish a timetable for Iraq's disarmament, program by program, relating to weapons of mass destruction," Chirac told reporters before talks with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. The U.S. is hoping to win the nine council votes necessary to pass a resolution — and thus put the pressure on war skeptics like France, China and Russia, to either use their vetoes or acquiesce to military action. The idea is that none of the three, who have criticized the U.S. for pushing a war without an international consensus, will want to be seen blocking a resolution with consensus support.
If it's neither useful nor necessary to the French then there's gotta be something good about it for America Russia issued a strongly worded statement opposing a war over Iraq. The Foreign Ministry said, "Russia intends to use its full arsenal of diplomatic means ooooooo! in order to resolve the current critical situation around Iraq through political methods."
Don't say we didn't warn ya The Security Council vote could depend heavily on the next report by chief inspector Hans Blix, and especially upon Iraq's reaction to Blix's call for the destruction of all Al-Samoud 2 missiles, which experts say violate range limits. Iraq, which contends the missiles are still in a testing stage, has not refused to destroy them but has asked Blix to reconsider, claiming the missiles don't exceed the 93-mile limit once loaded with warheads and guidance systems. See? Look at this one - we'll test it towards Kuwait But Blix said Iraq had increased the diameter of the Al Samoud in violation of a 1994 order from the previous U.N. inspectors, and that computer simulations showed the missile exceeded the limit. A larger diameter means the missile has the potential to travel farther. Kinda hard to explain away a diameter increase as poor quality control.. U.N. inspectors now estimate Iraq has between 100 and 120 of the missiles, according to diplomatic sources. Thought they were still in the testing stage? Blix is also expressing skepticism over Iraq's claims to have destroyed the stocks of anthrax and VX nerve agent. Blix told a magazine he found it "a bit odd" that Baghdad, with "one of the best-organized regimes in the Arab world," had no records of the substances' destruction. But Iraqi Lt. Gen. Hossam Mohamed Amin repeated claims that Iraq is "clean" of weapons of mass destruction, and said Iraq is cooperating with the inspectors in an attempt to prove it. He said a U.N. team will come to Iraq on March 2 to check the soil for proof of weapons' destruction. That should give 'em enough time to dump some at the spot they say they did
I like it! That sounds like a description of the respective countries' leadership Separately, the United States on Monday overcame a hurdle in military preparations with Turkey's Cabinet agreeing to the deployment of tens of thousands of U.S. troops, allowing for a possible northern front against Iraq. Turkey's parliament was expected to vote Tuesday on whether to allow the troops. A deadlock on the issue was broken when Washington offered Turkey $5 billion in aid and $10 billion in loans to cushion its economy in a war. Bargained themselves down, did they? | |||
| Posted by:Frank G |
| #10 My 7 year old son has 7 chickens that are ready to volunteer for NBC duty in the Iraqi theatre of operations. They come complete with eggs of various colors if you feed 'em ok. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-02-24 22:24:01 |
| #9 Actually, I thought the russkies would embargo our chicken. But I'm sure the people of Iraq would like chicken, and they have the money (thanks, UN) for it. All 21 bil in euros. Wonder which banks that'll be pulled out of? |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-02-24 21:39:30 |
| #8 So where does Danny envisage the debate being held? I hear Guantanamo Bay is lovely this time of year... Your room is waiting, Sammy. |
| Posted by: mojo 2003-02-24 16:50:13 |
| #7 "... I don't know about the words French and fighters being in the same sentence." Mirage (i.e. imaginary) fighters works. |
| Posted by: VAMark 2003-02-24 16:39:47 |
| #6 Thought they were still in the testing stage? "Um, yeah they are. We're just gonna test 'em on Tel Aviv..." |
| Posted by: Parabellum 2003-02-24 15:56:58 |
| #5 "Russia intends to use its full arsenal of diplomatic means" = Lots-O-Stolichnaya Vodka |
| Posted by: JDR 2003-02-24 15:51:04 |
| #4 thanks Fred |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-02-24 15:39:08 |
| #3 German drones is about right, but I don't know about the words French and fighters being in the same sentence. |
| Posted by: Steve 2003-02-24 15:32:40 |
| #2 S'okay, Frank -- the line about Mirages and drones more than makes up for it! |
| Posted by: Dar Steckelberg 2003-02-24 15:09:08 |
| #1 nice...previewed everything but the stinkin' title and still missed a typo...dang |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-02-24 15:01:43 |