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. . . Day by Day with VOA .. Bush Seeks Canada's Backing for Iraq Action . Paula Wolfson White House 9 Sep 2002 20:19 UTC   .  Listen
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Canada is one of America's closest allies. But Prime Minister Chretien leaves no doubt he is skeptical about the need for military action against Iraq. He said he went into the meeting ready to listen, perhaps to get a preview of the arguments Mr. Bush will put before the United Nations on Thursday. White House Spokesman Ari Fleischer told reporters after the talks that the president made no specific requests for support, and the Canadian leader made no commitments. The president and the prime minister met in Detroit, Michigan, not far from the U.S.-Canada border. They talked about Iraq in private. In public, they focused on border security. At a joint appearance near a border crossing, President Bush spoke about the need to balance security concerns with the desire to expedite cross-border commerce. "The ties of trade and travel and family between America and Canada are closer than ever," he said. "And our countries are better for it. Yet nearly a year ago, we saw the terrorists - cold blooded killers - using our openness, the openness of our societies against us." Security on the border was tightened after the September 11 terrorist attacks. Mr. Bush said they are now taking steps to speed up border crossings for pre-approved cargo and passengers, so inspectors can "focus on the greatest risks, not on legitimate trade and travel. We want their time focused on stopping terror." Prime Minister Chretien said the goal of terrorists everywhere is to create fear. But he said freedom is "a stubborn thing." And he vowed the defenders of freedom will prevail. "On Wednesday, we will mark the solemn anniversary of a terrible day," said Prime Minister Chretien. "But let us celebrate today together the ingenuity and resolve that Canada and the United States have shown to ensure that our people can get on with their daily lives and our businesses can get on with business free from fear." During the flight from Washington to Detroit, White House Spokesman Ari Fleischer said President Bush was making a number of calls during the day to leaders in Egypt, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, as well as the Secretary General of the U.N., the Secretary General of NATO, and the prime minister of Denmark, who currently holds the presidency of the European Union. Mr. Fleischer was then asked by reporters about an idea put forward by French President Jacques Chirac in an interview with The New York Times. Mr. Chirac suggested a two-stage plan for dealing with Iraq through the United Nations that could lead to the authorization of military force if Baghdad refuses to admit weapon inspectors. The White House Spokesman said the comments of the French President indicate movement on the part of the international community to toughen U.N. resolutions against Iraq.
. Afghans Pay Tribute to Slain Commander Ahmad Shah Masood . . .
Security in Kabul is tight following last week's assassination attempt against President Hamid Karzai and a bomb blast that left more than 20 people dead in the Afghan capital the same day. Helicopters from the multinational International Security Assistance Force circled Kabul's sports stadium as thousands of government workers, students and senior officials paid tribute to Ahmad Shah Masood. A mortal enemy of the Taleban, Ahmad Shah Masood, who was the Northern Alliance military commander, had been pushed back to his stronghold in the Panjshir Valley when he was killed on September 9, 2001, by two suspected al-Qaida terrorists posing as journalists. Sitting in Kabul stadium Monday, just a few meters from the goalposts where Taleban soldiers carried out public executions, Hafifa Nasemi, the principal of Kabul's Manoucheri Girls School, said she was happy to be able to come pay her respects to Ahmad Shah Masood. Mrs. Nasemi said life under the Taleban had been unbearable, that she had been unable to work under the Taleban and that she and her daughters were prisoners in their own home for five years. Now, she says, she and her daughters feel they have been given their lives back. Known as the Lion of the Panjshir Valley, Ahmad Shah Masood was a brilliant military commander and tactician. His ragtag forces fought the Soviet Army to a standstill in the 1980s and then battled with other Afghan commanders for control of Kabul during a vicious civil war in the early 1990s that devastated Kabul and large parts of Afghanistan. Although many Afghans remembered Ahmad Shah Masood with fondness on Monday, placing his picture in shop windows and hoisting black flags in his memory, some Afghans hold less charitable views of the ethnic Tajik military leader. Standing in the shell of a building he is renovating in West Kabul, Ahmad Reza, a young contractor from Afghanistan's Hazara ethnic minority, said he cannot forgive Ahmad Shah Masood for destroying Kabul's traditional ethnic Hazara neighborhood while fighting for control of the city ten years ago. Ahamd Reza said he respects Ahmad Shah's reputation as a fighter against the Russians and the Taleban, but that every time he sees the destruction caused by the late commanders forces, his respect fades away. One person absent from Monday's memorial observances was Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai. Mr. Karzai is visiting New York to meet with President Bush, address the U.N. General Assembly and attend a memorial for the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States. Before he left for the United States, Mr. Karzai traveled Saturday to Ahmad Shah Masood's village in the Panjshir Valley, to pay respects to the late commander's family in an emotional memorial service attended by thousands of the guerrilla leader's troops and followers.
. Air Defense Missiles Deployed Around Washington . . The U.S. Defense Department says it is deploying mobile anti-aircraft missiles at the Pentagon and other military sites around Washington as part of an exercise to test capital area defenses. A Pentagon spokesman told VOA the exercise, code-named "Clear Skies II," officially begins Tuesday and will run for several days, coinciding with the first anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks. The spokesman said the exercise has been planned for several weeks and will include jet fighters, support aircraft, radar, the ground-based, mobile missiles and communications equipment. He said there are no current plans to arm the missiles or other air defense systems being used for the exercise. But the spokesman also said all aviators in the Washington area are advised to read and comply with the latest government notices restricting air space around Washington. Reuters news agency said it was told by one Pentagon official that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld could quickly order live missiles moved from stand-by to full alert status on the launchers. Some information for this report provided by Reuters.
. Al-Jazeera to Broadcast Full bin Laden Statement . VOA News 10 Sep 2002 00:03 UTC .. Al-Jazeera television says Tuesday it will broadcast a complete videotape on al-Qaida 9-11 hijackers that includes a statement of Osama bin Laden. In a tape excerpt broadcast Monday, a voice that al-Jazeera identifies as Osama bin Laden, praises the September 11 hijackers. It says the hijackers "changed the course of history" with their so-called New York and Washington "raids." The voice goes on to name four of the hijackers, including Mohammad Atta, who is identified as the destroyer of the first World Trade Center tower - and is praised for being serious, diligent and faithful. The excerpt shows footage of some of the hijackers preparing for the attacks by studying flight manuals and an aerial map of the Pentagon, one of the targets on the September 11 attacks. The tape also shows one of the 9-11 hijackers, Abdul Aziz Al-Omari, reading his will. Wearing a grey robe, al-Omari calls the September 11 attacks a message to all infidels. He asks God to reward those who trained him for the mission and singles out Osama bin Laden for special praise. Al-Omari has been identified by the FBI as a hijacker who crashed into the North tower of the World Trade Center. Qatar-based al-Jazeera says the tape was made recently to mark the first anniversary of the attacks. A White House official says the government remains concerned about the potential for terrorist activity as the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks approaches Wednesday. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said today that anniversaries can sometimes be occasions for heightened terrorist activity, although he says intelligence reports do not currently indicate anything out of the ordinary.
. Annan Prods Security Council on Iraq Arms Inspections . Elaine Johanson United Nations 9 Sep 2002 17:52 UTC . Listen
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report - Download 306k (RealAudio) . U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is prodding the Security Council to take a decisive stand on the issue of arms inspections in Iraq, as the Bush administration continues to warn of possible military action to oust Saddam Hussein. The Security Council is likely to come under increasing pressure in the next week or two to make a decision on Iraq. U.S. President George W. Bush and other national leaders will be at the United Nations to attend the new session of the General Assembly. The American president is expected to present his case against Iraq in a formal speech Thursday. The United States says Iraq is developing weapons of mass destruction, including the capability of building a nuclear bomb, in violation of a U.N. ban imposed after the 1991 Gulf War. Iraq has not allowed U.N. arms inspections for nearly four years, and the Bush administration is debating possible military action to remove Saddam Hussein. Most U.S. allies say Washington should not act without U.N. approval. Secretary-General Kofi Annan agrees, saying the Security Council should be making those kinds of decisions. "I think it is important to stress that the Security Council, which has been seized with the Iraqi issue for so long, should have something to say," he said. "I think it is appropriate for the Council to pronounce itself on the issue." The U.N. leader has expressed skepticism about using the military option, in any case. Mr. Annan says there are too many unpredictable elements associated with the use of force, including what kind of Iraq would emerge post-invasion. "Many people are worried about unexpected consequences," he said. "The question is the morning after. And I would not want to throw out any guesses, but I am concerned, as well. What sort of Iraq do we wake up to after the bombing? And what happens in the region?" U.S. allies are pressing Washington not to go it alone. France has proposed two U.N. resolutions. One would set a deadline for Iraq to let the U.N. arms inspectors back in, followed by another on whether to take military action. These avenues will be explored in the coming days as high-level discussions continue in New York.
. Arafat Condemns All Terror Attacks Against Israeli Civilians . Ross Dunn Jerusalem 9 Sep 2002 12:41 UTC . Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has condemned all terror attacks against Israeli civilians and said he is ready to negotiate peace.
He said the world expects a clear message from the Palestinian people that they are ready to negotiate peace with Israel and carry out internal political reforms. Mr. Arafat condemned all acts of terror against Israeli civilians, saying attacks on Israeli civilians serve Israel's interest by drawing attention away from the suffering of the Palestinian people. In an advance copy of the speech provided by his staff, Mr. Arafat specifically called for the recognition of Israel and for a ban on suicide bombings. These lines were not delivered in the actual address to the parliament. Mr. Arafat also said he is ready to give up his executive powers, if asked to do so. But his remark was delivered in a joking fashion and suggested he intended to mock his critics, rather to be taken seriously. His comments drew laughter from the Palestinian Legislative Council, which met at his offices in the West Bank City of Ramallah. Lawmakers are expected to vote on the make-up of a new Cabinet and to discuss holding of parliamentary elections next January.
. Austria Heading for Early Elections . . .
Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel said he will ask his party to dissolve parliament next week. He said he will ask parliament to call elections "as soon as possible" and suggested that Austria needs more stable leadership.
The vice chancellor said the resignations were necessary because of a conflict with her party's former leader Joerg Haider, known for his comments defending the Hitler era.
Mr. Haider and other extreme right-wingers in the party were particularly angry at a delay in tax cuts that Ms. Riess-Passer had agreed to accept. Mr. Haider, who is the governor of Carinthia Province, has said that he will not participate in national politics. But several commentators in Austria are suggesting that he may change his mind. Analysts say that whatever he decides, Mr. Haider will remain influential.
. Blair Joins Bush in Diplomatic Campaign Against Saddam Hussein . . British Prime Minister Tony Blair will call for international action against Iraq in a speech later Tuesday, joining President Bush in a diplomatic campaign against Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. In excerpts of his speech released late Monday, Mr. Blair calls Mr. Hussein "an outlaw" whose pursuit of banned weapons of mass destruction undermines the United Nations. Mr. Blair's speech at a trade union event in the English town of Blackpool will pave the way for Mr. Bush's own Iraq policy speech before the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday. U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan Monday expressed concern over the consequences of possible U.S. military action to force a regime change in Iraq as Washington has indicated it might pursue. Mr. Bush, meanwhile, met with Prime Minister Jean Chretien and spoke with other skeptical leaders in Europe and the Middle East, telling them Mr. Hussein is a threat to world security. Many of these world leaders are advising caution and urging the United States to put pressure on Iraq through the United Nations. Earlier Monday, a leading British research institute said Iraq could make a nuclear weapon within months - if Baghdad obtains nuclear material for a bomb from a foreign source.
. Israelis, Palestinians Prepare for High-Level Talks . VOA News 9 Sep 2002 23:20 UTC .
Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres is due to meet with a cabinet-level Palestinian delegation to discuss economic and security issues later Tuesday, in the first such talks in almost a month. In his address to Palestinian legislators Monday in Ramallah, Palestinian leader Arafat said he is ready to negotiate peace with Israel. However, officials from the United States and Israel said separately they want an effective crackdown on militants from Palestinians - and not just words. A U.S. State Department spokesman also said new Palestinian leadership is needed to ensure security. The militant group Hamas, meanwhile, said the Arafat speech will have no effect on Mideast violence. In ongoing sporadic violence, two Palestinians were reported injured during an Israeli raid in Betunia, near Ramallah on Monday. Palestinian lawmakers convened Monday's legislative session to prepare for Palestinian elections, which Mr. Arafat says will take place in early January, if Israel withdraws from Palestinian towns and cities. So far, Israeli troops have only ended patrols in the center of Bethlehem, while occupying most other Palestinian population centers. In another development, a report in Time Magazine says Israel has rounded up or killed nearly every known member of the military wing of Hamas operating in the West Bank. Israel has been aggressively pursuing Hamas operatives and other militants in the West Bank since late March.
. Maoist Rebels Launch Major Attack in Nepal . . . In Nepal, officials say Maoist rebels have launched a major attack on a town in the west of the country. Authorities fear there could be many casualties. It is the the second rebel attack in the last two days. Officials say the rebels struck at security posts and government buildings around midnight, Monday morning, in Sandhikhara, a mountain town about 300 kilometers west of the capital, Kathmandu. They say gun battles raged for several hours. Nepalese Junior Home Minister Devendra Raj Kandel calls it "a pretty big attack." About 200 policemen and soldiers are based in the town. Officials say several government buildings were on fire. The blazes apparently started after the rebels exploded bombs. Reinforcements, including helicopters and soldiers, have been rushed to the area. The attack comes just a day after Maoists killed nearly 50 policemen at a remote police post in the east of the country. The rebels have stepped up attacks since late last month, when the government lifted a ten-month state of emergency that was imposed to crush the Maoist rebellion. The Nepalese Cabinet meets Tuesday to discuss the situation. The government says it is considering again imposing emergency rule, because rebels appear to have regrouped. The emergency was lifted in preparation for parliament elections that are to be held in November. Opposition parties had said it would not be possible to hold a free and fair election under tough emergency laws that included sweeping powers of search and detention. The guerrillas have threatened to disrupt the elections. The Maoists have been fighting since 1996 to replace Nepal's constitutional monarchy with a communist government. The rebellion has become bloodier in the past year, claiming nearly 3,000 lives.
. New US Military Operation in Afghanistan . VOA News 9 Sep 2002 23:15 UTC . U.S. military officials say they have launched a large scale operation against al-Qaida terrorists in southeastern Afghanistan. Major Richard Patterson, a U.S. spokesman at Bagram Air Base north of Kabul, said Monday soldiers recently launched Operation Champion Strike in the Bermal Valley, not far from the border with Pakistan. The spokesman said the operation is aimed at capturing or killing the remnants of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida fighters still in Afghanistan. Major Patterson said U.S. troops have so far been involved in one firefight with unknown attackers, with no casualties reported. He also said soldiers have made several arrests and seized assault weapons, landmines and rockets. Major Patterson said he could give no other details because the operation is still underway. Meanwhile, an Afghan warlord is fighting pro-government forces for control of the southeastern city of Khost. Padshah Khan Zadran had warned his forces would strike back after troops loyal to the provincial governor, Mohammed Hakeem Taniwal, drove his men from the city center Sunday. Fighting in Khost has so far killed 15 people and wounded 51 others. The governor's forces reportedly attacked Mr. Zadran's men after state-run local radio mistakenly reported that U.S. troops had arrested the warlord, who is wanted by the central government. U.S. military officials say they merely had a meeting with Mr. Zadran, asking him to remove roadblocks that slow down the hunt for stray al-Qaida and Taleban fighters. U.S. military spokesman Colonel Roger King says U.S. forces have no plans to take action against the Afghan warlord. Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters.
. Portraits of Grief . Pat Bodnar Washington 9 Sep 2002 19:29 UTC . Listen to Pat
Bodnar's report from Washington (RealAudio) Bodner report -
Download 1MB (RealAudio) . The twin towers of the World Trade Center, each with 110 floors, anchored scores of businesses. It held a workforce of 50,000 people drawn from every corner of the earth. Since September 15, 2001, The New York Times has run brief profiles each day of some of the World Trade Center victims, drawn from remembrances of family members, co-workers and friends.
It was a bright sunny day in New York last fall, when two jets slammed into the World Trade Center. The final death toll was not as high as first thought, but the numbers were devastating. Ultimately, almost 3,000 people died there. For days after the attacks, desperate, grief-stricken relatives searched the streets of New York, and city hospitals in hopes of finding their loved ones. "I have to see my brother. I want to see him. If it's a dead body at this point, it doesn't matter. If it's a dead body I know he's okay now. I know he's up there. I know he's okay. I have to find him. I want to know that he's okay."
And, it was out of this experience that The New York Times began to create its memorable series "Portraits of Grief", and the book Portraits 9/11/01. Janny Scott wrote the introduction to the book and many of the profiles.
The portraits put a human face on a casualty count so large as to be difficult to comprehend. Those who died in the September 11 attacks were fathers, daughters, people who were planning weddings, expecting babies. Bond traders died. Restaurant workers died. Secretaries and window washers died. Firemen died. Firefighter Kevin Hannafan joined the recovery effort the day his brother Thomas' body was found in the wreckage. This is part of Thomas Hannafan's portrait, written in The New York Times. "Kevin was part of a search team, including members of Ladder 5, that found the bodies of Thomas, 36, and four other members of his group in the mound of trade center rubble. Kevin carried his brother's helmet out of the wreckage. 'It was the proudest moment of my life,' he said. 'It means a lot for firefighters, in firefighter tradition, that members of their company carry them out. That day, I was part of that company.'There was insurance executive Michael Egan. His sister Christine was visiting him at the office that day from Canada. They called his wife as the planes hit the towers. Mrs. Egan said her husband always called her, no matter where he was. He called that morning, too. "You made it," she said. "No, we're stuck," said Mr. Egan. Then, still on the phone, she watched his building collapse on television. "He had to call," she said. "But all we could say is, 'I love you, darling.'" There are over 1,900 profiles in the Portraits of Grief. More than 100 reporters eventually took part in the project. Some reporters worked on the profiles for days and cycled out to different assignments. Others wrote for weeks. One reporter who lost a cousin in the World Trade Center found that writing helped her work through her own grief. Business reporter Connie Hayes says it was an emotional experience to pick up the phone and call families and friends of people who were presumed, but not declared dead. "In the beginning we were all kind of speechless," Ms. Hayes said. "We didn't have anything to say and there was nothing we could say to make people really feel better. But, in a way, telling these stories seemed to make some of the families feel that they were doing something to help their loved ones and I was just grateful to be helping with that." The profiles resulted in much comment from readers and family members. For Janny Scott, it was the profile of Robert Mayo.
He was a fire-safety officer, meaning he was hired by the company that ran the Trade Center, and he worked for that company on contract. He had been outside the buildings and gone back in believing it was his job to do that. He had spoken to his wife from outside the building and said that he was going back in. And she had wanted him not to and he had done it anyway and had been killed...he had a son, who's about 11 or 12 and every morning he would get up to go to work very, very early, three or four in the morning. He lived out in New Jersey and he would have to drive into New York. So he didn't see his son in the morning so he would write him notes, scribbled on the backs of envelopes or pieces of scrap paper and leave them on the breakfast table" "On Sept. 11, Mr. Mayo's note to Corbin included a losing score. "He wrote, like, 'Sorry. I love you. Have a good day, I'll see you later,'" Mrs. Mayo recalled. "The notes were always on scratch paper or the back of an envelope, nothing fancy. I would kill for a few of those notes now," Mrs. Mayo said. For reporter Anthony de Palma, response came from his story about two firemen. "One of the ones that was the most technically difficult to do and also the most rewarding was a pair of firemen who were exactly the same age, who were the sons of firemen, who had entered the academy within six months of each other, and who, believe it or not, had the exact same first, middle and last name, Michael Edward Roberts " said Mr. de Palma. "And so, as I came upon these two men and tried to pursue their own stories, it reflected the universality of the event." "At times it seemed he was in two places at once because there was another firefighter, same name, same age, same background. The only time their families met was at their funerals."
These portraits of grief capture the unrecountable complexity of life in motion.
. Study Shows Big Gap Between Rich and Poor in Mexico . . .
According to the Towers Perrin study, the gap between low-wage workers and the executives who run the companies where they are employed has grown in the past 16 years. Today, a white collar executive makes 124 times what a worker makes. In 1985, an executive made only 38 times what a low-level employee made. In the United States, according to the study, executives make 27 times what workers make. In Venezuela, the figure is 75 and in Brazil, 38. The country with the lowest gap is Switzerland, where executives make only 9.5 times the salary of a basic worker. This news comes on top of other recent surveys and studies showing the limited growth of the middle class in Mexico and the difficulty faced by workers aspiring to improve their economic lot.
To make matters worse, the wealthy pay almost no tax, so the main burden of supporting the government falls on the middle classes and workers. In a country of more than 100 million people, only 7.3 million pay income taxes each year. It is estimated that each taxpayer pays for 20 other Mexican citizens who either evade taxes or who earn too little to require reporting. Mexican President Vicente Fox's proposal to make the tax system more equitable, through a broad-based value-added tax, was set aside by the Congress late last year. The Fox government's efforts to improve the lot of Mexican workers and the struggling middle class have also been set back by the slowdown in the world economy in the past year. Mexico is better off than most developing nations and boasts the strongest economy in Latin America at the moment. But economists and political scientists agree that until wages improve for the average worker, the middle class will not grow and the number of Mexicans seeking better opportunities by emigrating to the United States will increase.
. US, India Discuss Kashmir . . .
The talks here were largely devoted to laying groundwork for the New York meeting Thursday between President Bush and Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. The United States has sent a succession of diplomatic envoys to South Asia since May when India and Pakistan came close to full-scale hostilities over Kashmir. In a talk with reporters with Mr. Sinha at his side, Mr. Powell said Kashmir was among issues covered and that the United States expects the Pakistani government to live up to stated promises to curb the infiltration of Kashmiri militants that has been a major source of regional tensions. "I reaffirmed to the minister that we would continue to press the Pakistani government to do everything possible to stop cross-border infiltration and remind them of the commitment that they have made, not only to the United States but to the international community that it would not support such activity, and would work actively to stop it," he said. Mr. Powell also said the United States has cautioned Pakistan not to meddle in elections in Indian Kashmir later this month. Officials in India's Jammu and Kashmir state have accused Pakistan of hiring local militants to try to disrupt the legislative assembly voting in the mostly-Muslim region, which begin September 16. Mr. Powell said he reaffirmed to his Indian counterpart that the U.S. administration has told Pakistan not to interfere "in any way" in the polling, which he said he expects to be conducted in a free and fair manner. In addition to meeting President Bush in New York, Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee will hold talks with several other world leaders and give India's policy speech to the U.N. General Assembly. It will be his first U.S. visit since last November.
. Zimbabwe Opposition Sues Government Over Election . . The main opposition party in Zimbabwe is taking the government to court after officials disqualified about half of the opposition candidates in upcoming local elections. The opposition Movement for Democratic Change says 639 of its candidates were declared ineligible to run for office for a variety of reasons, most of them false. The group accuses the government of illegally rejecting documentation and changing the times and locations of nomination courts with little or no notice. The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) says that in some cases, its candidates were scared away from the registration courts by threats of violence. The government says the opposition failed to nominate candidates in many areas. The voting at the end of September would have been the first local government elections for the MDC since it was formed three years ago. It won nearly half of the elected seats in parliamentary elections in June 2000. Local elections are particularly important in Zimbabwe, where local officials have broad powers, particularly in rural areas. Without the opposition candidates, the ruling Zanu PF party is guaranteed to control most of the local governments in the country. Political analysts have called Zimbabwe's nomination process biased and inefficient. The MDC is also challenging the outcome of presidential elections in March, which gave President Robert Mugabe another six years in power.
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. . . Day by Day with VOA .. . Bush: US Action Against Iraq 'Unavoidable' Unless UN Forces Saddam to Disarm . David Gollust United Nations 12 Sep 2002 15:47 UTC . Listen to
President Bush's Address to the UN General Assembly (26 minutes)
(RealAudio) Listen
to David Gollust's report from the United Nations
(RealAudio) Gollust
report - Download 518k (RealAudio) .
Mr. Bush devoted most of his speech to a litany of Iraqi violations of post-Gulf War U.N. resolutions. He termed it a "decade of defiance" of world demands that it renounce weapons of mass destruction, support of terrorism, repression of its own people, and attacks on its neighbors. The President said the world now faces a test and the United Nations "a difficult and defining moment." He said the world body should demand Iraqi compliance now, or face its own political irrelevancy. "Are Security Council resolutions to be honored and enforced, or cast aside without consequence? Will the United Nations serve the purpose of its founding, or will it be irrelevant?" the president asked. "The United States helped found the United Nations. We want the United Nations to effective, and respectful and successful. We want the resolutions of the world's most important multilateral body to be enforced. And right now, those resolutions are being unilaterally subverted by the Iraqi regime. " Mr. Bush made no specific threat to use force against Iraq, but said action will be "unavoidable" unless the United Nations takes a strong stand forcing Saddam Hussein to disarm. He said the world cannot stand by and do nothing as dangers gather, and that the United States is ready to make a stand for its own security and for the rights and hopes of mankind.
The General Assembly was opened a few moments earlier by U.N. secretary-general Kofi Annan. He urged Iraq to comply with its obligations and said if its defiance continues, the Security Council must "face its responsibilities." At the same time he made a strong appeal, implicitly directed at the Bush administration policy on Iraq, for countries to act within the "legitimacy" of the U.N. framework. "Any state, if attacked, retains the inherent right of self-defense under Article 51 of the [U.N.] Charter," Mr. Bush noted. "But beyond that, when states decide to use force to deal with broader threats to international peace and security, there is no substitute for the unique legitimacy provide by the United Nations." A senior Bush administration official who spoke to reporters after both speeches, said it is Saddam Hussein who is unilaterally challenging a great multilateral institution, the United Nations. She said President Bush must retain his options to protect U.S. national interests. The same official said the administration would like the U.S. Congress to endorse military action against Iraq if it came to that. She said it would be "a pity" if the Congress could not speak with one voice, especially after Mr. Bush has taken his case to the United Nations.
. US Lawmakers Support Bush on Iraq . . U.S. lawmakers from both parties have praised President Bush's U.N. speech on Iraq, but the two parties differ on how quickly Congress should act. Democratic Senate Majority leader Tom Daschle says Mr. Bush made a "very strong presentation," but says the president has not yet made a conclusive case for military action. Mr. Daschle said Congress needs to know how much backing Mr. Bush has from the international community, what effect military action against Iraq would have on the coalition against terrorism, and what plans there are for replacing Saddam Hussein. The Senate's Republican Minority leader, Trent Lott, says Congress must show the world it backs the president with quick passage of a resolution before lawmakers adjourn in October. Senator Lott is the top lawmaker in President Bush's Republican party. Democrat Joseph Biden, who chairs the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, says there is no urgency for congressional action. He said he believes Congress should wait until the United Nations passes another resolution on Iraq. Republican Senator John McCain, who has close ties with many influential Democrats, said he expects congressional action on Iraq "within weeks." Senator McCain added that he does not believe military operations against Iraq would be "very difficult." |