Military

SHAPE News Summary & Analysis

15 July 2003

IRAQ

• The Wall Street Journal, July 14, writes that President Bush defended the quality of intelligence he receives as “darn good”, despite an uproar over disputed reports that Iraq tried to buy uranium from Africa for nuclear weapons. According to the daily, he remained convinced that Saddam was attempting to develop a weapons program and justified the U.S. going to war against Iraq. “Our country made the right decision,” President Bush reportedly said, adding: “When all is said and done, the people of the U.S. will realize that Saddam Hussein had a weapons program.” Referring to the remarks he made in his January State of the Union address about Iraq’s alleged attempts to buy uranium in Niger, he is also quoted saying: “I think I get darn good intelligence and the speeches I have given are backed by good intelligence.” However, administration officials, notes the newspaper, say the remarks shouldn’t have been included in the President’s speech because it was based on British intelligence that wasn’t confirmed by the U.S. The paper also comments that the President, talking about the speech and noting that it was cleared by the CIA at that time, stated: “When I gave the speech the line was relevant.”
  
• According to the Washington Times, U.S. defense officials brushed off India’s decision yesterday to not send 15,000 or more troops to Iraq to help the U.S.-led coalition’s efforts to restructure the country. But the State Department, observes the newspaper, was clearly disappointed with New Delhi’s decision. Spokesman Richard Boucher is reported saying: “We would have hoped that India would have made a different choice – that they would be there.” Defense officials, adds the newspaper, had spoken of the possibility of a third international division to aid the coalition effort now heavily tilted toward the U.S. But India, argues the daily, loath to be seen as part of an occupation force in Iraq, decided it would not deploy troops to Iraq without an explicit UN mandate. “Our longer-term national interest, our concern for the people of Iraq, our long-standing ties with the Gulf region, as well as our growing dialogue and strengthened ties with the U.S., have been key elements in this consideration,” Indian Foreign Minister Sinha is quoted saying.

ESDP

• The Independent reports that the EU is considering sending a military peacekeeping mission to Moldova, tormented by poverty, organized crime and weapons smuggling. The newspaper reminds that the Netherlands, which is chairing the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe, made the initial suggestion of an EU role in the region. The daily stresses that diplomats in Brussels say they have not ruled out either a military or a peace mission, if a settlement is reached. Ethnic violence broke out in the area after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and led to the introduction of Russian peacekeepers. Moldova never gained formal independence and control is exercised by Igor Smirnoff, a “warlord” who has links to Russia. However, EU involvement depends on agreements with Russia and, concludes the newspaper, the EU is considered as one of the possible candidates to mount such a mission since the OSCE itself does not have a military capability.

LIBERIA

• President Bush on Monday committed the U.S. military to a “limited” role in helping west African peacekeepers in Liberia, but on condition that its president, Charles Taylor, indicted for war crimes, leave the country first, writes the Financial Times. Speaking after meeting UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, President Bush steered a course between those in his administration arguing against overstretching U.S. forces in a country of little strategic importance, and UN appeals for a robust U.S.-led intervention, stating: “I think everybody understands any commitment we had would be limited in size and limited in tenure.” The President also reportedly said that the U.S. would “help facilitate” the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), whose forces would later be converted into a UN peacekeeping mission, stressing that the U.S. troops would not wear blue helmets and he would make a final decision after hearing reports from two U.S. assessment missions. In a related wire dispatch, July 14, Reuters states that UN Secretary General Annan reportedly outlined a scenario for a Liberia operation with Ecowas sending in 1,000 to 1,500 troops; then President Taylor would leave while more troops would arrive, American and West African. Eventually, he added, the UN would send in peacekeeping troops to help stabilize the country. “And once the situation is calm and stabilized the U.S. would leave and the UN peacekeepers will carry on the operation,” he is quoted saying. Some UN officials, concludes the dispatch, thought this would take about six months but U.S. sources said they doubted President Bush would allow U.S. troops to stay in Liberia that long.