20 March 2003
Rumsfeld Urges Iraqis Not to Fight "for a Doomed Regime"
(Says coalition forces will prevail in effort to remove Iraqi regime) (940) By Jacquelyn S. Porth Washington File Security Affairs Writer Washington -- Coalition forces "are poised for battle," Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says, "and they will prevail" in their drive to remove the Iraqi regime from power. Although an initial coalition strike against senior Iraqi leadership targets did not bring about the swift elimination of Saddam Hussein's regime, Rumsfeld told reporters at the Pentagon March 20 that the days of his regime "are numbered." "That regime is history," Rumsfeld said, as analysts sought to evaluate the actual damage levied March 19 by cruise missiles and heavy bombs launched against what he described as a senior leadership compound in Baghdad. Broader conflict need not occur, he said, "if the Iraqi leaders act to save themselves" and to prevent additional military action. Absent such action by the senior Iraqi leadership, Rumsfeld said, the war "will not be a repeat of any other conflict. It will be of a force and scope and scale ... beyond what has been seen before." Addressing the underpinnings of the regime, Rumsfeld said Iraqi soldiers and officers must ask themselves if they wish to die "fighting for a doomed regime" or want to survive to help their fellow citizens liberate Iraq "and play a role in a new, free Iraq." In a message that has been reiterated in numerous forums, Rumsfeld said any order from Saddam Hussein's regime directing Iraqi forces to launch weapons of mass destruction against coalition or Free Iraqi forces, Iraqi civilians, or neighboring countries "should not be followed." He also urged them not to destroy any dams or oil wells lest they face war crimes when the current regime is swept away. Any such orders, he added, would merely be "the last desperate gasp of a dying regime." By demonstrating through concrete actions that they do not intend to fight coalition forces, the secretary said, Iraqi soldiers and officers will preserve their place "in a free Iraq." Iraqi military units that want to survive the coming onslaught should monitor coalition radio broadcasts for the information they need to demonstrate their desire to be spared, Rumsfeld said. Those who surrender or who otherwise aid in the liberation effort will improve the prospect "that the war will be limited and less broad," according to the secretary. Rumsfeld spoke directly to the Iraqi people when he said "Operation Iraq Freedom" is not directed against them, the nation of Iraq, or any religion. He noted that there is considerable recent evidence that the Iraqi people "want to be liberated." The secretary said the day of Iraq's liberation "will soon be at hand." As the full scale of the coalition military operation unfolds, Rumsfeld repeated earlier pledges to "take every precaution to protect innocent civilians," but he warned them to stay at home. "Do not go to work. Stay away from military targets and facilities where Saddam Hussein has moved military assets," he said. Rumsfeld urged the general Iraqi population to stay out of harm's way and to monitor coalition radio broadcasts "for instructions on what to do to remain safe." He emphasized that there is no reason for Iraqis to flee their country. "Iraq belongs to the Iraqi people," Rumsfeld said, "and once Saddam Hussein's regime is removed we intend to see that functional and political authority is placed in the hands of Iraqis as quickly as is possible." Provisions are being made to provide water, food and medicine to those in need, he said. "Arrangements are being made to care for refugees and displaced persons inside Iraq," the secretary added. Rumsfeld described the "large and growing" 35-nation coalition effort as encompassing representatives from every part of the world "including a large number of Muslim-majority countries." The existing coalition, he said, is larger than the one assembled during the 1991 Persian Gulf effort to expel Iraq from Kuwait. While some members of "Operation Iraq Freedom" have expressed public support and others wish to contribute in a more private manner, he said their broad support ranges from providing combat and combat-support troops to refueling efforts to intelligence sharing. Later, when the situation on the ground is stable, coalition efforts will also include stability operations and reconstruction work, Rumsfeld said. Each member of the coalition "is playing a critical role in the liberation of a repressed people and the disarmament of a dangerous regime," he added. Rumsfeld provided his operational update on the military effort with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General Richard Myers, at his side. During a short period of questions posed to the two officials, Myers acknowledged that there are uncorroborated reports that the Iraqi regime may have set three or four oil wells on fire in southern Iraq. Rumsfeld described any such tactic as a crime perpetrated by the Iraqi regime to destroy "the riches of the Iraqi people." Myers added that those who carry out orders to start the oil fires are part of that crime. The two officials were also questioned about a March 20 assault by the 82nd Airborne against terrorist operatives in southern Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. Myers said it was purely a coincidence that the large strike occurred at the same time as the early phases of Operation Iraq Freedom. "It is a separate operation," Myers emphasized. Rumsfeld pointed out that the operation in Iraq takes nothing away from "the war against al-Qaeda." (The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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