The Associated Press March 11, 2003
Rumsfeld raises doubts about British military participation
By Robert Burns
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld suggested that the participation of America's closest ally, Britain, in the combat phase of disarming Iraq was in doubt.
"Until we know what the (U.N.) resolution is (going to say), we won't know the answer as to what their role will be," Rumsfeld said Tuesday of the British military, which is deploying 45,000 troops to the Gulf.
"And to the extent they are able to participate - in the event the president decides to use force - that would obviously be welcomed," he added. "To the extent they're not, there are workarounds and they would not be involved, at least in that phase of it.
Asked whether that meant the United States was considering going to war without Britain, Rumsfeld said "that is an issue the president will be addressing in the days ahead, one would assume."
Later, after reports that British officials were surprised by the comments, Rumsfeld's office issued a written statement saying his main point in the news conference was that obtaining a second U.N. Security Council resolution "is important to the United Kingdom" and that both countries were working to achieve it.
"In the event that a decision to use force is made, we have every reason to believe there will be a significant military contribution from the United Kingdom," Rumsfeld's statement said.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair faces enormous public opposition to his stance in support of U.S. President George W. Bush.
In London, government officials were reportedly surprised at Rumsfeld's comments. Blair's office told The Associated Press: "This does not change anything. We are still working for a second resolution. We are not at a state of military combat but there has been complete cooperation between the United Kingdom and the United States throughout on the military planning side."
The U.S. commander who would lead a war against Iraq, Gen. Tommy Franks, met in Amman, Jordan, with King Abdullah II on Tuesday. Franks' office was releasing few details about his schedule, although officials said he was headed to Afghanistan to visit U.S. troops and then to the Persian Gulf. His last stop will be his Gulf command post at Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar.
Rumsfeld spoke as the U.S. Air Force tested its biggest non-nuclear bomb, dropping a 21,000 pound (9,450 pound) onto a test range in Florida. Officials wouldn't say whether more were on hand for use in Iraq, but they hoped the test would rattle Iraqi soldiers bracing for war.
The bomb test was declared a success, but progress on other fronts in the U.S.-led move toward war was murkier.
At the United Nations, the United States and Britain faced the prospect of defeat for their resolution giving Iraq until Monday to disarm or be invaded, and it appeared they might agree to a short extension of the deadline. A U.N. Security Council vote appeared unlikely before Thursday.
In Iraq, two American U-2 surveillance planes flying over Iraq on behalf of U.N. weapons inspectors aborted their missions after Iraq raised objections. There were conflicting reports on the circumstances. An Iraqi official described the incident as a "technical mistake" by the U.N inspectors; Pentagon officials said it was too early to know who was to blame.
At a joint news conference with Rumsfeld, Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the number of American forces now arrayed against Iraq exceeded 225,000 and more were en route.
Neither Myers nor Rumsfeld would say whether the Air Force bomb that was tested for the first time Tuesday would be used in a war against Iraq. It is officially designated the Massive Ordnance Air Blast, or MOAB, although it has come to be called unofficially the Mother of All Bombs, a rough allusion to Saddam's claim before the 1991 Gulf War that that conflict would be the "Mother of All Battles."
"Anything we have in the arsenal, anything that's in almost any stage of development, could be used," Myers said.
Cheryl Irwin, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said the test was considered a success.
The Air Force has not said how such a bomb might be used in combat. John Pike, a defense analyst with GlobalSecurity.org, said Tuesday it might be useful against Iraqi Republic Guard formations or even targets around Baghdad such as one of Saddam's palaces.
Copyright © 2003, The Associated Press
