http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-537103,00.html
January 09, 2003
US
weapons dossier may remain a secret
>From Roland
Watson in Washington
DONALD
RUMSFELD, the US Defence Secretary, has suggested that Washington may present
little or no evidence of Iraq's quest for banned weapons even if President Bush
decides to go to war.
Mr
Rumsfeld said that disclosing such details to the world or even to the United
Nations Security Council could jeopardise any military mission by revealing to
Baghdad what the United States knows.
When
weighing the demands of global opinion for proof of President Saddam Hussein's
danger against the need to shroud an effective military campaign in secrecy, Mr
Rumsfeld said the safer option would be for the US to tilt towards secrecy.
He
said that the final decision on the pros and cons of revealing sensitive
intelligence material would be Mr Bush's, but he added: "To the extent
that prior to using force he were to reveal intelligence information in a way
that damaged the ability to conduct the conflict, it would be, needless to say,
unfortunately, risky for the coalition forces' lives engaged.
"And
I don't know what calibration would be made there. On the one hand, you have
the advantage of persuading the publics in the world and countries of the facts
of the matter, and on the other hand, by so doing, you weaken your ability to
do that which you have decided to do."
His
remarks are likely to unsettle potential US allies and complicate the task of
assembling a diverse coalition for any attack on Baghdad.
Moderate
Arab states have said that any military action would need the authorisation of
the UN if they are to open their military bases and airspace to the US and
British military. But the prospects of a second UN resolution, to follow the
15-0 vote that authorised the present inspection regime in Iraq, would be
hampered if the US was unwilling to share its intelligence.
With
the US military build-up continuing apace, American officials disagree with
Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, that the chances of war are receding. One
said that the time for conflict was approaching "sooner rather than
later".
Downing
Street has indicated that it would prefer a second UN resolution before starting
military strikes. But the prospect of a speedy vote is unlikely, partly because
of the five incoming members who will change the dynamics of the 15-member
body.
Spain,
Germany, Angola, Chile and Pakistan have taken over five of the ten rotating
seats from Colombia, Ireland, Mauritius, Norway and Singapore. The incomers are
regarded as posing tougher nuts to crack for American negotiators at the UN
than those they are replacing. Gerhard Schröder, the German Chancellor,
made his opposition to an Iraq war the centrepiece of his re-election campaign,
although he has recently tempered his rhetoric and is trying to mend fences
with Washington.
Hans
Blix, the UN's chief weapons inspector, and Mohamed El Baradei, head of the
International Atomic Energy Agency, will today give the Security Council an
interim briefing on Iraq's 12,000-page weapons declaration, which is likely to
highlight its shortcomings and omissions. They will return for the critical
meeting on January 27, at which they will give their assessment of Iraq's
compliance.
Washington
and London insist that the meeting should not be regarded as a trigger for war,
although their emphasis is subtly but crucially different. Mr Straw has said
that the inspectors should be given time to continue their searches, which have
apparently turned up little so far, but the White House insists that the date
is no trigger because so much is already known about Saddam's breaches of UN
resolutions.
UN
inspectors used helicopters for the first time this week and searched at least
eight sites yesterday. One site, the al-Tareq public company 55 miles northwest
of Baghdad, was a chlorine plant, according to Iraqi officials there.
Inspectors, who have visited the site six times in recent weeks, took samples
during a four-hour stay.
REGISTER
YOUR VIEWS:
President
Bush White House Comment
Line: (202) 456-1414 |
Senator
Ron Wyden DC Phone: 202-224-5244 Local Phone: 503-326-7525 |
Senator Gordon H. Smith DC Phone: 202-224-3753 Local Phone: 503-326-3386 |
Representative
Peter A. DeFazio DC Phone: 202-225-6416 Local Phone: 541-465-6732 |