Military

SHAPE News Morning Update

6 February 2003

NATO

• NATO Secretary-General Robertson on Wednesday played down the lack of unity among the United States’ allies over Iraq and said that all demanded Baghdad get rid of its alleged weapons of mass destruction. But Robertson -- speaking after talks with EU foreign policy chief Solana -- declined to comment on a speech by Secretary of State Powell in the UN Security Council in New York. Solana said they had not had time to study it. “There is no disagreement at all. NATO and the EU are completely united that Saddam Hussein has no alternative but to comply with the terms (of UN resolution 1441) and to disarm,” Robertson told reporters. “He (Saddam) still has time to do so,” Robertson added. Robertson said NATO ambassadors would meet on Thursday to resume discussions on support measures for Turkey. “There is no argument inside NATO on the substance of these proposals. The simple issue at stake is a question of when the timing starts and how that might affect the UN process,” Robertson said. He added that Powell’s speech might help push the 19 alliance members towards reaching an agreement on Thursday.(Reuters 1813 050203 GMT)

IRAQ

• Despite a dramatic presentation by Secretary of State Powell of Iraqi attempts to thwart UN inspections, key Security Council members did not budge from their opposition to war. While nearly every council member during Powell’s electric 80-minute address on Wednesday agreed that Saddam Hussein’s government fell far short of compliance, few made the leap to suggesting Iraq presented a big enough threat to warrant war. The next step is a trip to Baghdad this weekend by top UN disarmament officials, chief UN inspector Hans Blix and his colleague, Mohamed El Baradei, in charge of nuclear arms, after which they will address the Security Council on Feb. 14. “Unless we act we are confronting an even more frightening future,” Powell said. “Clearly, Saddam will stop at nothing until something stops him.” Powell said Iraq gave orders to sanitize documents that referred to “nerve agents,” had hidden sensitive documents in cars that were driven around the country and placed weapons scientists under house arrest to keep them from inspectors.(Reuters 0500 060203 GMT)
  
  
• Though praised for presenting a compelling case that Iraq is blocking weapons inspections,. Secretary of State Powell failed to rally much new support behind Washington’s claim Saddam Hussein has had enough time to disarm and must now face the consequences. The response from Washington's staunchest allies to Powell’s presentation Wednesday before the UN Security Council was quick and supportive. Britain called the evidence “powerful.” Spain said it was “compelling.” Australia's foreign minister, noting that his country had provided some of the evidence Powell used, said the speech showed a “deeply disturbing pattern of deceit” by Saddam. Italy and the Netherlands also lauded Powell. But Powell’s 80-minute presentation of tape recordings, satellite photos and statements from informants appeared to do little to win over countries that have already expressed doubts over America’s hard-line stance. France and Germany remained firmly against the military option. “The dangers of a military action and its consequences are plain to see,” said German Foreign Minister Fischer, whose country holds the rotating Security Council presidency. “We must continue to seek a peaceful solution to this crisis.”(AP 060405 Feb 03 GMT)
  
  
• France’s foreign minister called on the UN Security Council on Wednesday to strengthen its inspection regime in Iraq and said military action against Baghdad should be considered only as a last resort. Dominique de Villepin, reacting to a high-stakes presentation by Secretary of State Powell, threw out an array of proposals to “enhance” inspections such as tripling the number of arms experts, opening more regional offices and using French Mirage war planes to help with searches. “Given the choice between military intervention and an inspections regime that is inadequate because of a failure to cooperate on Iraq’s part, we must choose the decisive reinforcement of the means of inspections,” he said. But both Powell and British Foreign Secretary Straw later told de Villepin at a Security Council luncheon that his proposal would go nowhere, diplomats said. A senior State Department official further told reporters that his ideas would not help discover the type of materials Iraq allegedly was hiding. Asked his opinion of Powell's briefing, de Villepin told reporters it was no substitute for “absolute proof.” “We cannot base our analysis on only suspicions. We need facts, and that is very important,” de Villepin said.(Reuters 2350 050203 GMT)
  
  
• The U.S. military, getting ready for a possible war with Iraq, said on Wednesday it had activated nearly 17,000 more Reserve troops, bringing the total number of reservists on active duty to more than 111,000. The latest mobilization means that nearly 10 percent of thetotal of about 1.2 million U.S. reservists now have been summoned to active duty. In the past three weeks alone, more than 52,700 reserve troops have been activated. The announcement came as the United States stepped up its build-up of a large military force, including ground troops, warplanes and numerous warships in the Gulf region for a possible invasion of Iraq. U.S. defense officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said American troops in the region already numbered about 110,000, with tens of thousands more set to arrive by the middle of the month.(Reuters 2241 050203 GMT)