Iraq Is in a Sorry Plight

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, January 15, 2003

Iraq Is in a Sorry Plight

In recent days, seen whether from the perspective of the intransigent attitude of the UN inspection group, or of the rapid rate of the reinforcements of the United States and Britain, various circumstances hint: the position of Iraq is indeed going from bad to worse.

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150,000 US and British Sea, Land and Air Forces Press on to the Border

After US Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld signed an order to send 35,000-strong reinforcements to the Gulf area on January 10, on the following day he again ordered to dispatch another 27,000 men to the region, that was the second deployment order issued by the United States within 24 hours, indicating that troop-massing work relating to US projected military attacks on Iraq is being stepped up. These army men come from various services, including those from army, navy, and air force as well as from marine corps. They include two amphibious operational task forces composed of 7,000 marine corps soldiers. The United States has by far deployed nearly 150,000 troops in the Gulf area.

The United States will soon continue to send additional B-1 strategic bombers, C-5 heavy transport planes, and an indefinite number of "patriot" anti-ballistic missile companies. In addition, large batches of heavy military vehicles and other materials of the US military have begun to set out from a US military base in Germany to the Gulf area. On the morning of January 9, a US military base in the east of Bavaria Land, Germany, 500 military-use tractors, cranes, bulldozers, trucks as well as other heavy-duty machines used in building roads, bridges and military structures were loaded in the trailer of a 250-coaches train which was heading for the Gulf. A US defense officer said that 200,000 troops would have been deployed in the Gulf by mid-February.

A British royal aircraft carrier left the Portsmouth navy base for the Gulf area on January 11, this is the biggest deployment of British navy over the past two decades. The entire fleet includes one submarine, one cruiser, one destroyer and two supply vessels. The fleet is equipped with a submarine with the ability to launch cruise missiles. During his visit to the United States, Canadian defense minister indicated on January 10 that if the United Nations disagrees with attacking Iraq, Canada will consider joining US military actions against Iraq. The Australian government indicated that the special troops' holidays had all been cancelled and had got everything ready to be dispatched to the front of Iraq.

US Presses the Inspection Group to Search for "Smoke Guns"

While reporting to the Security Council on January 9, UN Chief Inspector Hans Blix said UN nuclear inspectors have not found so-called smoke guns in Iraq, meaning haven't found weapons of mass destruction, but he declared that Iraq had violated the UN ban by illegally importing missile engine and fuel and had attempted to buy aluminum for making rockets. IAEA Secretary-general Muhammad El Baradei also declared on the same day that Iraq admitted it had attempted to import high-strength aluminum tubes for making rockets.

Although Blix and Baradei had adopted more intransigent attitude toward Iraq than before, the United States was dissatisfied with them because they failed to explicitly pointed out Iraq's development of weapons of mass destruction. US Secretary of State Colin Powell stated failing to find out "smoke guns" was not tantamount to non-existence of guns. Powell also indicated that the United States would share with the inspectors intelligence about Iraq's weapons program. The nuclear inspectors would become "more rapid, vigorous and comprehensive" in their search for contraband weapons in Iraq. At present, the United States presses the nuclear inspection group to take Iraqi weapon scientists abroad for investigation. The place is in Cyprus which is the seat of the headquarters of the nuclear inspection agency, and the time is set before January 27. If Iraq turns down US demand, then it would give the United States a handle and cause the evil consequence of "substantive violation".

Bush Personally Bolsters the Iraqi Opposition Faction

White House disclosed that Bush had an "in-depth exchange of opinions" with representatives of six principal Iraqi opposition factions in White House January 10 on questions relating to Iraq's future and reform, and jointly discussed questions concerning Iraqi postwar reconstruction. This is the second time within half a year the United States invited these six Iraqi opposition factions to gather in Washington to discuss major matters of vital importance on "toppling Saddam", it is also the first time Bush met with these personages in the White House. At the end of last year, Bush agreed to allocate US$92 million for training Iraqi opposition factions in order to assist possible US war aimed to "overthrow Saddam". Training of the first batch has formally started, 5,000 Iraqi people will be trained in a secret place in the Middle East, the aim is to train them to become war advisors, scouts and interpreters with professional knowledge and capable of meeting war needs.

In the meantime, the US military and intelligence agencies are launching a secret "e-mail war" against Iraq, so as to instigate Iraqi military and civilians to rise against Saddam's rule. It is revealed that beginning from January 10, thousands upon thousands of e-mails have been sent to the mail boxes of Iraqi military and administrative personnel.

Arab Countries Persuade Saddam to Step Down

Just at the time when the United States continues to carry out military concentration in the Gulf area, leaders of the Arab world are trying to persuade Iraqi President Saddam to step down. Reports say that Saudi Arabia is striving for an opportunity to be offered by the United States to lobby Saddam to leave office, so as to avoid US military attacks on Iraq, Turkish new Prime Minister Abdullah Gul recently also discussed this question with the host countries during his visits to four Middle East nations

In the past few days, a petition signed by intellectuals of Arab countries is widely spreading. Lawyers, human right activists and some parliament members of the Gulf region all signed the document. The petition says Saddam's rule is a nightmare for Iraq and even the entire Arab world, an immediate resignation of Saddam is the only way to avert the emergence of more violence. The petition also appeals to the United Nations to send human right supervisors to Iraq, so as to oversee the steady transition of the Iraqi political power.

By People's Daily Online

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