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Pester on Baghdad
by
Mumtaz Hamid Rao
Amidst discernible icons of stress—all around—Hans Blix
has eventually stepped onto the soil of Iraq with a tough squad to hunt
the ‘chemical n’ biological weapons’ seemingly being ‘masked’ by
Saddam, a man—with verve—in today’s world. Ever since the adoption of a
UN resolution, pressure has been mounting on Baghdad to accept the
new decree as Arab Foreign Ministers went into an in-depth dialogue on
the Middle East scenario, with a meticulous focus to the endless US
threats of war vis-à-vis Iraq. The moot in Cairo termed the resolution
as Iraq’s best hope to avoid an impending military strike by the United
States. Not only that Blix deems his current voyage as ‘the last chance
for Iraq’, the White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card—had
simultaneously—said in clear-cut words that the US doesn’t require UN
permission to act against Iraq, if it fails to comply with the UN
mandated weapons inspection programme.
Since then, affirmative indications have been approaching
about Iraq’s nod to the Security Council motion. It is obvious from a
statement by the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Ahmed Maher and Saudi
Foreign Minister, Saud al-Faisal wherein they expressed optimism that
Iraq was ‘ready to accept the resolution’. The UN resolution—voted
unanimously—by the 15-member Security Council including Syria had
warned Baghdad of ‘serious consequences’ if it fails to comply with its
disarmament terms. Apart from unabated perils of war, posed by the US
leaders, the Arab countries have also ascended force on Iraq to react to
the resolution positively to shun hazards for the Middle East as a
whole. It’s ill-fated due to the fact that Washington has hardly left
any option for Baghdad to eschew execution of the Security Council
resolution through any strategic gambit. It ought to be mindful that
President George W Bush is desperate to complete his father, Bush—the
senior’s unfinished agenda to disarm and dislodge Saddam Hussein, as is
evident from the US leaders’ reaction over the world body’s verdict. .
Bush is—virtually—in search of an excuse--howsoever lofty n’ lame it may
be—to take action against Baghdad. The situation, therefore, calls for
acumen and sagacity on the part of the Iraq to snap the veracity in its
true perceptions to save his land and the people from a perceptible
turmoil—which would otherwise upshot into nothing except a reign of
fatality and obliteration. The loss of a million Iraqi children—due to
the UN sanctions against Baghdad amply speaks of international
community’s apathy towards scanty nation’s dilemma. There should be no
illusion that it will again be a silent spectator to the annihilation of
Iraqi nation at the hands of today’s’ solitary Supper Power—the United
States in case of a nauseating reply from Saddam Hussein, who is fully
aware of the contents of the Security Council’s tenacity, affirmed all
the way through a tough US-sponsored resolution ‘giving Iraq one last
chance to disarm or pay the cost—to the magnitude of ones mind’s eye.’
Russia, France and China have seemingly softened their stance towards
the US sponsored resolution in the wake of Republicans’ victory in this
week’s elections. They, however, deserve appreciation for not only
carrying out protracted parleys on the resolution till after the
Congress polls in the United States, but also for diluting the harsh
conditionality to some extent. The fact, however, remains that
Washington has ultimately succeeded in extracting a tough warning to
Saddam Hussein from the world body either to accept the resolution or
face ‘severest consequences’, as President Bush put it after the
unanimous adoption of the resolution by the UN Security Council. The
situation thus calls for a pragmatic response by the Iraqi leadership to
avoid destruction of whatever military strength Iraq is left with. There
is hardly any ambiguity about the US motives behind anti-Iraq designs,
which are aimed at warding off any threat to Israel. Iraq should,
therefore, have no illusion about Washington’s intentions and motives.
We are mindful that it’s a difficult time for the Iraqi leadership, as
it is supposed to protect its legitimate military strength on the one
hand and to let the UN weapons’ inspectors destroy what they term as its
capability to build ‘weapons of mass destruction’ on the other. It’s
certainly time to avoid ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ and allow the UN inspectors
without any inhibition to carry out their assignment as per the UN
guidelines. It is hoped that the UN weapons inspectors will also be
judicious in their evaluation of the sites and would not put themselves
in Richard Butler’s shoes, who had acted at the US behest to unduly
prolong the inspections and deliberately complicate his task by seeking
access to the sites, linked to Iraq’s sovereignty. It’s no time to sway
emotionally. The situation rather demands that Baghdad should not
provide any excuse to the US to act against her militarily, as
Washington is desperately weighing its options for a long time to launch
military strikes against her.
The resolution gave President Saddam just a week to
acknowledge the terms—listed therein—for arsenal’ inspections by the UN
inspectors who landed in Iraq yesterday—Monday. Paradoxically, with all
the bullying tones, the new gauge, set by the UN still leaves Washington
free to molest Iraq—in a jiffy—even without a fresh ‘indispensable
resolution’, thus authorizing the use of optimal might—at the disposal
of the dominant powers—to get onto Iraq, setting aside the fact that it
requires the world body to assess any grave infringement before an
binding military smack. The only option—thus—left with Saddam is to ‘let
Blix & Co’ embark on their atypical mindset. Let the ‘crusade of
inspection’ be conducted—uninterrupted. Let them have ‘an entrée’ even
to the dazzling Presidential Palace n’ elsewhere ‘so that the guys get
back to New York with a buoyant n’ candid note—based on truth, if at all
they are blessed with such a facet. It will only make every feature
crystal clear in the best interest of the global peace in all-purpose
and the Middle East in diligent. In such a fashion Saddam will fetch
marvelous adore from all the pragmatic nations which love peace by
holding amity—deep into their hearts—and snub all types of brawls.
The author is a noted journalist, political analyst and ex-Director News Pakistan TV.
Source:
by courtesy & © 2002 Mumtaz Hamid Rao
by the same
author:
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