U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell is starting talks with key foreign leaders to see if they can put together a U.N. resolution that calls on Iraq to submit to weapons inspections or risk grave consequences.
Only Britain supports the United States in its firm approach to Saddam Hussein. The three other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, Russia, China and France, have the power to veto and torpedo a resolution.
Powell's tough assignment is to try to gain their support, AP reported. In a speech Thursday night, Powell lashed out at the Iraqi leader.
"Saddam Hussein has long made an unholy alliance with terrorists," Powell said. "What is not arguable is that he is in violation of international law." Powell added, "I am confident we will be successful in making that case to the international community."
Powell had a luncheon scheduled with the foreign ministers of Russia, France, Britain and China, and a separate session with the other members of the Council.
Also, Powell was to meet separately with Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan of China and, briefly, with French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepan.
Meanwhule, Iraq's U.N. Ambassador Mohammad Al-Douri denounced President Bush's address on Thursday. "He chooses to deceive the world and his own people by the longest series of fabrications that have ever been told by a leader of a nation," Al-Douri said.
Additionally, Iraq warned Bush he risked setting the region on fire by attacking Baghdad and accused him of "lying" to the UN General Assembly in a bid to justify such action.
Bush's speech to the General Assembly was full of "lies" and contained nothing new, Saad Kassem Hammudi, a senior official of the ruling Baath Party, told AFP.
British war plans
The British Telegraph daily reported on Friday that advance parties would begin deploying to Kuwait within two weeks in preparation for an attack on Iraq which could involve up to 30,000 British troops. The report is based on information provided to the newspaper by "defense sources."
At the same time, attacks on Iraq by aircraft patrolling the no-fly zones will be stepped up with the goal of putting more pressure on Saddam Hussein to agree to give up his weapons of mass destruction.
The British deployment will begin after Sept. 24 when Parliament debates support for U.S. action against Iraq, the newspaper said.
It will take at least three months for the British tanks to get to Kuwait, ruling out any attack on Iraq this year. Government officials said the US was now determined to try pressure through the United Nations before any attack.
US war plans will require a five-division assault on Iraq's southern flank, including four of its own divisions.In the north, US airborne troops, possibly supported by Britain's 16 Air Assault Brigade, would occupy Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq and a Marine Expeditionary Force would most likely mount an amphibious attack from the northern Gulf, the Telegraph added.
The leaking of the plans comes after discussions on US preparations for Iraq between Geoff Hoon, the British Defense Secretary, and his US counterpart Donald Rumsfeld. Senior officers also took part in the talks. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
