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COMMENTARY -- WAR -- (the news is directly below):
You have gone back in time and are standing in the midst of a lush ancient forest. You hear and see some large vegetarian dinosaurs feeding on the moist soft leaves of brush and trees. You also see skulking about like a cat after a mouse, other smaller dinosaurs with a lighter build about them trying to catch and eat even smaller dinosaurs. You also see small dinosaurs feeding on the vegetation. Suddenly you hear a loud screech which terrifies every creature in this setting and sends them running for fear. The screech is coming from a large version of the lighter built and fast moving dinosaur with teeth designed to rip and tear other animal flesh. It quickly moves up on the large vegetarian. It lacks the weight of the vegetarian it is pursuing but has more speed and agility. It's massive and powerful jaws are set into motion as it lunges upon the vegetarian and immediately draws blood as it rips and tears away at a vital spot. The vegetarian tries to defend itself by using its heavy tail to whack the aggressor but it was too slow this time in defending itself and it quickly weakened because of pain and loss of blood. Dizzy and in weakness it dropped to the ground and took its last breath. The aggressor ruthlessly tore away at the most tasty spots and then left the carcass for scavengers.
In the natural world this story describes the "food chain" and the "predatory" character of those creatures at the top of the food chain. The predatory behavior is driven by hunger and the instinct of the predator to feed and care for it's young. Although all animals have some kind of reasoning capability their instincts most often prevail and their reasoning is subordinate to these instincts to make them more effective at surviving.
How does this story relate to war? Is war wrong? Is war necessary? What is accomplished by war?
Mankind is to be above the animals, that is he should be exercising his reasoning capabilities over his instincts. But mankind often does not do that. Tribal behavior is something like wolf pack behavior. There is a kind of civilized order within the pack but anything outside the pack is considered fair game. There is usually a pack leader. In many ways, the societies and cultures and communities of mankind are like the pack where the reasoning capabilities of the individuals in the pack and the consensus of the pack is directed at serving the primitive instincts of survival.
Although man is more technically capable as he sits atop the food chain, many of the nations, societies, cultures, and communities of man are more predatory in character with leaders that know how to control the pack and maintain their control over the pack. If allowed, these predatory packs of mankind will act just like the predatory dinosaur. No amount of talk or reasoning will prevent the attack because the overall social behavior is predatory and reason is used to make the predatory behavior more successful. The only defense against such predators is to be both prepared and more capable if attacked. But often a defensive posture will fail as it did with the vegetarian dinosaur which was no threat to the other dinosaurs. Many animal packs that are vegetarian adopt defensive and preventative postures as a pack to minimize any predatory attack on members within the vegetarian pack. Buffalo, cattle, and many other animals do this.
But only mankind has two things the animals don't have. Man is smart enough to anticipate a predatory attack and respond in a manoeuvre of defense to disable or kill the predatory enemy before the "screech" of death is heard. Man has the means and abilities to develop sophisticated weaponry. Compare this weaponry to the teeth of the attacking dinosaur and the tail of the vegetarian dinosaur.
But if a society or community of man is not aware of such dangers by other predatory type societies and communities then it peacefully and obliviously eats, drinks, sleeps, reproduces, plays, and in other ways occupies itself. When the "screech" of impending death is heard it may be too late. This is especially true if the predatory society has technological superiority and readiness to use that technology in an aggressive manner. This susceptibility scenario is also true if a society or community of man has been deceived into thinking that the predators are their friends or that arbitration, deals, and discourse will stop the aggression. Nothing will stop the predatory nation or community from its behavior other than its own destruction. A predatory human or human society is far more committed to violent aggression than is a predatory animal seeking a prey for a source of food. A predator is ruthless and uncaring whether it be a dinosaur, a wolf, or man. The "whimper" (or dialog to prevent aggression) that precedes death is understood by the predator as victory and the prey can be savaged. There are those that feel that a kind of social remedial exercise involving discourse, and various other forms of reward and penalty administered against the predatory society, by some powerful majority, will cause such predatory communities to change. This is foolishness as long as the pack leader remains leader. The leaders drive the communities. This is true even in western democratic nations. Sometimes leaders reflect the views of the community that elected them and perhaps leaders exploit the community that elected them.
When leaders have control of the key social institutions they can use these institutions to brain wash the community as a whole. If leaders don't have control of the key social institutions then new potential pack leaders can use these institutions to brain wash the community and thereafter supplant the pack leader. For example, often the educational institutions are infiltrated with authority figures that have a profound influence on those they teach. So it is not unusual in just about every society to see social discontent first voiced by universities and institutions of higher learning. The so called media in the form of newspapers, magazines, radio and TV industry, the publishing industry, and the movie industry are powerful means of brainwashing a society and re-engineering the "average" social mentality. A third category is the religious institutions, seminaries, and related organizations. Whoever controls the content of these institutions inevitably controls the pack mentality. Laws and government are derived from this mentality. As the mentality changes so also do the laws and inclinations of government.
As long as the average human being allows himself or herself to be herded along in a pack type social environment there will be predatory societies that feed on the other societies. They will skulk about and wait for their moment. They will form unholy and wicked alliances with each other only to eventually turn on one another. War in this context simply realigns those at the top of the food chain. War is for the purpose of establishing different leaders, it rarely occurs for the purpose of true peace and prosperity directed from a global perspective. Although the word peace is used a lot today its meaning varies depending upon who uses it. Peace as used by world leaders means the establishment of their objectives at the cost of their opponents. World leaders shake each others hands in such deceptive gestures of peace. It is a paradox. It is a horrible dilemma. If any society disarms, adopts arbitration and dialog to effect change then they will be perceived as manipulatable through that dialog. They will also be perceived by the potential aggressor as weak because they rely too heavily on a so called diplomatic solution to disputes. Meanwhile the predatory society or societies will take whatever gain they can through the dialog and when their moment comes, lunge, and with their mighty jaws and sharp teeth rip and tear away at the vulnerabilities of their prey.
Therefore, God must manipulate the devil who influences man towards predatory behavior. The devil incarnate is Anti-Christ. The Anti-Christ or Satan is any human being that uses their reasoning capabilities to serve their primitive instincts. By so doing they have opened up and turned over their mental "real estate" to the spiritual forces of darkness that bring only death. The spiritual force of evil is only able to influence the human mind through the mechanism of our primitive instincts for survival. If we lust and are preoccupied with the things and values of a world driven by such instincts then we have been deceived into a form of mental slavery that brings only hatred and death in its wake.
Jesus Christ is the answer. He is both an example of what we must be like as humans and he is the facilitator/mediator/interface whereby we can all know and experience the love/caring of God.
If you have any comments, questions, or concerns you can email this ministry at thilts@help-for-you.com
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On Tuesday, several Cabinet officials from Panama will be meeting with counterparts in Colombia to exchange information and consult on how best to control the border area. The Panamanians are concerned about incursions by leftist guerrillas, as well as right-wing para-military groups from Colombia. For many years, the Colombian guerrillas have sought supplies and safe haven in small indigenous villages on the Panamanian side of the border, in the densely forested Darien area. Anti-guerrilla para-militaries appear to be entering the same area now in search of the rebels, and to punish those they believe are helping them. Meantime, the Colombian government complains about clandestine arms shipments over the border and along the coastline. On Sunday, the Colombian armed forces reported the seizure of 81 AK-47 rifles, a large quantity of ammunition and communication equipment in the region near the Panamanian border. The Colombian authorities described the illicit shipment as having come by boat to the Pacific coast from Panama. The head of Panama's National Police, Carlos Bares, says the Colombians are rushing to judgment. "If there is evidence that the arms did in fact come from Panama, then the police will investigate, but Colombia has not yet provided any such information to Panama," he said. "However, the Pacific Ocean is very large, and there is no reason to jump to the conclusion that this shipment came from Panama." Such issues are bound to be high on the agenda when Panamanian and Colombian officials meet in Bogota. Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has called on neighboring nations like Panama to help him win the fight against insurgent groups and narcotics traffickers by keeping a closer watch on the borders. But Panama abolished its armed forces after the fall of dictator Manuel Noriega in December, 1989, and now relies on a national police force that may not be a match for the battle-hardened Colombian guerrillas and para-militaries. The incursion of what witnesses describe as Colombian para-military units over a week ago, and the subsequent murder of four men resulted in the total abandonment of four indigenous villages near the border. Observers here say, this is the first time in Panamanian history something like this has happened in that zone. There are now more than 500 people from the area crammed into a refugee center established by United Nations relief workers and the Catholic Church. Panamanian police officials express outrage over the incident, and vow to stop the Colombian intruders, whom they describe as being criminals, rather than insurgents.
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The last serious battle was Operation Anaconda in March, which was the biggest U.S. ground offensive to flush out Taleban militants and al-Qaida terrorists from caves in the eastern part of the country. The fighting now is taking place in the mountainous region of Atghar, in Zabul province, close to the Pakistani border. The Americans say it began Monday when Special Forces soldiers came under small arms fire while clearing a compound north of Spin Boldak. One of the assailants was killed, while another was detained. The detained suspect is said to have disclosed under questioning that about 80 enemy fighters were regrouping in the mountainous area. Coalition force aircraft were dispatched to bomb the rebel position. Spokesman Roger King at the U.S. military headquarters at Bagram Air Base, Roger King, gave details, saying "enemy forces were engaged throughout the night and the action still continues. At least 18 enemy personnel have been killed. No coalition casualties have been reported," he said. "A total of 19 JDAMs, which are 2,000 pound bombs, were dropped by the B-1s [bombers] during the course of yesterday [Monday] evening and last night. Two GBU-12, which are 500-pound guided bombs were dropped by F-16s [fighter jets] from the European partner air forces. And there were repeated gun engagements by the AC-130 [airplane] and the AH-64 Apache [helicopter]." The U.S. military says it believes the fighters are closely linked with Hezb-e-Islami movement of renegade Afghan leader, Gulbuddin Hematyar. He is suspected of attempting to consolidate with remnants of al-Qaida and the Taleban. Since the fall of Taleban-rule in Afghanistan last year, opponents of the U.S.-backed government in Kabul have waged a low-level guerilla war along the mountains and historically lawless frontier between Afghanistan and Pakistan. American and Afghan officials say the rebels have been hiding on the Pakistani side of the border. Pakistan is closely cooperating with the U.S.-led anti-terrorism forces and has deployed some 60,000 troops in the mountainous region to track down the militants.
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Philippine prosecutors have filed murder charges against the exiled leader of the Communist Party. The move comes day after Communist rebels rejected a government-drafted peace proposal to end 34 years of bloody conflict. The final draft of the peace plan had not even reached rebel leaders when the exiled founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines, Jose Maria Sison, rejected the proposal as nothing more than a "demand for surrender." Under the proposed agreement, the government would grant the rebels an unconditional amnesty in exchange for a cease-fire, disarmament and disbanding of the party's military wing. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo approved the draft late last week as a "last ditch" effort by the government to end 34 years of insurgency. Ms. Arroyo instructed government negotiators to push for the deal after a former Communist Party leader, who has since reintegrated into the government, was killed by suspected assassins last week. Peace talks between the communist rebels and the government have been stalled since June 2001 following similar killings of former CPP leaders. Tuesday, police filed murder charges against Mr. Sison for allegedly masterminding those murders. Rodolfo Biazon, a Philippine senator and a former military chief is disappointed with the rebels' repsonse, but said "this rejection by the CPP ... is expected. However the government must be ready to formulate an alternative program in the event that the peace process completely fails," he said. He says that the government could take a harder line with CPP guerillas by intensifying military action against the group. A presidential spokesman said Tuesday that despite the rejection, the government has not given up on peace talks with the rebels.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin says his country may toughen its position on Iraq if Baghdad obstructs the work of United Nations weapons inspectors. The Russian leader told students at Kiev University that if Iraq starts hampering inspectors, this could prompt Russia to join the United States in seeking tougher U.N. Security Council measures on the issue. But he also stressed that all of the measures should be coordinated through the Security Council. Earlier, Britain's Foreign Secretary Jack Straw described Iraq as being in material breach of U.N. disarmament demands. He told British radio that Monday's report to the Security Council by the chief arms inspectors shows that war is more likely than he previously thought. The British minister then warned Iraq it would be making a profound mistake if it continues to engage in, as he put it, game-playing and deception. In Paris, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin urged the United States to work within the U.N. Security Council on the crisis and repeated France's opposition to any unilateral action on the issue. Some U.S. allies insist on a second U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing military action before the launch of operations against Iraq. But in Washington, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer called a new resolution desirable but not mandatory.
Some information for this report provided by AP.
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Monday's report only served to underscore the differences among council members over what should happen next in the weapons inspection process. The United States and Britain have already concluded that Iraq is not fully cooperating with UN inspectors.
"Nothing we have heard today gives us hope that Iraq intends to fully comply," he said. But Russia, China and France all want weapons inspectors to be given more time to complete their work. And with council members deeply divided over what course of action to take, Britain's ambassador, Sir Jeremy Greenstock, expects more consultations, but no quick decisions about where the process goes from here. "We are then going to allow for a couple of days for Security Council delegations to report back to their capitals and get further instructions for the debate and informal consultations we're having on Wednesday," he said. "I don't think that that debate will necessarily be conclusive." The United States has not ruled out giving weapons inspectors more time to conduct searches, even as it continues the largest military build up in the Persian Gulf since the Gulf war in 1991. Germany, which also opposes military action against Iraq, is expected to ask inspectors for another report by mid-February, when Germany will have assumed the Security Council's rotating presidency.
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The Bush administration says it will soon release U.S. intelligence information showing that Iraq maintains weapons of mass destruction. The expected release next week is part of a push to build international support for a possible war against Iraq. A senior advisor to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, General Amir Rashid, Tuesday repeated Iraq's denial that it has any banned weapons and said Monday's report by United Nations inspectors did not represent the facts fairly. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said in an interview with European media that the United States has intelligence information showing that Iraq is violating U.N. resolutions and is working to de-classify as much of the information as possible so it can be released as early as next week. Officials in Washington say the intelligence material shows officials close to President Saddam have been directly involved in the movement and hiding of weapons to avoid their discovery by U.N. inspectors. The chief U.N. weapons inspector, Hans Blix, told the Security Council on Monday that key questions about Iraq's weapons program remain unanswered, including the whereabouts of chemical weapons stocks. Meanwhile in Iraq, President Saddam told military commanders to be vigilant for any sign of treason. The United States has warned Iraqi military officers they would be prosecuted for war crimes if they follow orders to use chemical or biological weapons. President Bush is expected to use his State of the Union speech later Tuesday to make the case that war is becoming unavoidable. Security Council members France and Russia are among the major powers that have expressed doubt that it is necessary to use military force against Iraq, and they argue that international inspections should be given more time.
Some information for this report provided by AP, Reuters and AFP.
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A South Korean presidential envoy returns to Seoul Wednesday after a three-day mission to North Korea to resolve an international dispute over that nation's nuclear activities. His expected face-to-face meeting with Northern leader Kim Jong Il did not take place, disappointing the South Korean government.
Mr. Lim says the officials repeated a demand for a non-aggression treaty with Washington, which the U.S. has already rejected. Mr. Lim also said finding a peaceful solution would be a very long and gradual process. The North has stuck firmly to its position of direct negotiations since the crisis began in October when Pyongyang revealed to Washington it had a secret nuclear weapons program - an admission it now denies. The envoy did not meet with the Northern leader Kim Jong Il himself, as the South Koreans had expected. His aides said he was not available. Through the North Korean officials he was able to meet, however, Mr. Lim passed a message from the South's President Kim Dae-jung conveying the world's concerns. Many South Korean political analysts say Mr. Kim is the only person in the North with the authority to take decisive action on the nuclear issue. Mr. Lim's failure to meet with the North's leader could block Seoul's efforts to help end the crisis. In Washington, President Bush said in his State of the Union address that North Korea will not "blackmail" the world into granting concessions for its nuclear programs. He also labeled Kim Jong Il's government an "oppressive regime" that "rules a people living in fear and starvation." North Korea has reportedly rejected a recent Russian proposal that urged it to abide by international agreements on its nuclear program in exchange for security guarantees and a resumption of humanitarian and economic aid. The proposal also suggested establishing an international group of governments to work together to end the crisis. But according to Russian news agency Interfax, a North Korean Foreign Ministry statement says that the country will not take part in multilateral talks and will only hold direct talks on equal terms with the United States. Washington has said it is willing to talk with the North, but the two sides have yet to agree to hold a meeting. In the last two months, Pyongyang has ejected nuclear inspectors, removed seals from an old reactor capable of producing weapons-grade plutonium and pulled out of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, raising concerns around the world.
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It was perhaps the most important speech of his presidency - a State of the Union address designed to prepare a nation for war and to build confidence in the administration and its policies. Point by point, President Bush detailed the Iraqi threat and made the case for action. He says Saddam Hussein has defied international disarmament demands and must be held to account. "Almost three months ago, the United Nations Security Council gave Saddam Hussein his final chance to disarm," the president said. "He has shown instead utter contempt for the United Nations and for the opinion of the world."
"Secretary of State Powell will present information and intelligence about Iraq's illegal weapons programs; its attempts to hide those weapons from inspectors; and its links to terrorist groups," he said.
"Some have said we must not act until the threat is imminent," Mr. Bush said. "Since when have terrorists and tyrants announced their intentions, politely putting us on notice before they strike?" But, although he talked about a possible military response to Iraq, he emphasized that North Korea's nuclear weapons program warrants a different strategy. He says his administration is working with South Korea, Japan, China and Russia to find a peaceful solution. Mr. Bush also stressed that, while the United States is taking steps to make the world safer, it is acting to make it better. To that end, he announced plans for a $15 billion initiative to fight the disease AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean. "This nation can lead the world in sparing innocent people from a plague of nature," he said. "And, this nation is leading the world in confronting and defeating the man-made evil of international terrorism." Last year, Mr. Bush began his State of the Union address with comments on terrorism, and the rogue nations that form, what he called an "axis of evil." This time, the president began with remarks on domestic issues perhaps a response to public opinion surveys that show most Americans do not approve of his handling of the economy. Mindful of the lessons of his father who lost a bid for re-election after the 1991 Gulf War, because of economic concerns, the president went out of his way to demonstrate his commitment to tackling the issues that affect the everyday lives of most Americans. "Our first goal is clear: we must have an economy that grows fast enough to employ every man and woman who seeks a job," he said.
"We need allies today in 2003, just as much as we needed them in Desert Storm, and just as we needed them in D-Day in 1944 when American soldiers, including my father, fought to vanquish the Nazi threat," he said. Governor Locke said the Bush administration must remember that the United States is far stronger when it stands with other nations than when it stands alone.
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Opposition Democrats have responded to President Bush's State of the Union address.
It proposes $674 billion in spending for an economic revival package based on tax cuts, including elimination of taxes on stock dividends. Democrats have labeled it a "handout" for the rich, saying it would give the largest tax cuts to wealthy Americans. In his speech, the president rejected the Democratic criticisms, saying his proposal would help small businesses and create jobs.
In the official Democratic response, Governor Locke disagreed. "We think it's upside-down economics. It does too little to stimulate the economy now, and does too much to weaken our economic future," he said. "It will create huge permanent deficits that will raise interest rates, stifle growth, hinder home ownership and cut off the avenues of opportunity that have let so many work themselves up from poverty." Before the president's speech, lawmakers from both the Democratic and Republican side said Mr. Bush would have to make clear his reasons for possible military action in Iraq. Mr. Bush reiterated the United States reserves the right to act on its own, with allies, to disarm Iraq. "Yet, the course of this nation does not depend on the decisions of others," he said. "Whatever action is required, whenever action is necessary, I will defend the freedom and security of the American people." Delivering the Democratic response, Governor Locke urged the president to continue working with allies and to allow the U.N. inspection process to work. "We must convince the world that Saddam Hussein is not America's problem alone. He is the world's problem," he said. "And, we urge President Bush to stay this course, for we are far stronger when we stand with other nations than when we stand alone." The president's strong comments on Iraq alarmed Democratic lawmakers, such as Maryland Senator Paul Sarbanes, who said Mr. Bush sounded, "very close to war." President Bush's domestic proposals drew criticism from, among others, Senator Edward Kennedy, who says Mr. Bush paid little attention to education, while presenting an unacceptable proposal on medical insurance.
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Tensions mounted in Abidjan as people waited for the Ivorian leader to give a speech late Wednesday, in which he is expected to explain why he accepted the accord. The agreement, reached in France, among the Ivory Coast government, the rebels and opposition parties, grants key government positions to the rebels.
The rebellion began last September, when rebels staged a failed coup attempt against the president. On Tuesday, senior army officers told President Gbagbo they reject the accord because they do not want any rebels in the government. President Gbagbo sought to calm the demonstrators earlier by telling them the agreement signed in France was merely a set of proposals. But the rioting continued. In addition, anger over the accord sparked ethnic clashes on Monday and Tuesday in the southern town of Agboville. Witnesses say least six people were killed, and more than 30 wounded in the clashes. The fighting began when members of the ethnic Abbey group, who are Christians and natives of the Agboville region, attacked Dioula-speaking Muslims who are originally from rebel strongholds in the north of Ivory Coast. Abbeys said they were angry that the President appointed a new prime minister as part of the accord. The new prime minister is Seydou Diarra, a Muslim northerner. A Muslim leader in the town, Imam Sirima Konate, told VOA several places of worship were destroyed in the fighting. The Imam says the Abbeys burned several mosques in the town. Dioula youth, he said, went on to burn a number of churches. Meanwhile, anger remained high against the French, who demonstrators here in Abidjan accuse of pressuring Mr. Gbagbo into signing the accord. Most French nationals, who number in the tens of thousands in Ivory Coast, remained in their homes, awaiting instructions from the French embassy for a possible evacuation. But employees of several French companies and their families gathered at an airport hotel Wednesday to await an evacuation flight. The French army, whose peacekeeping force of 2,500 has over the past four months prevented a rebel incursion into Abidjan, says it has no plans to bring in reinforcements. A French army spokesman on Wednesday said troops in Abidjan had yet to receive instructions on an evacuation.
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North Korea has lashed out at the United States, after President George W. Bush called on Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear ambitions or face continued isolation and hardship. The communist nation's official media Wednesday accused Washington of trying to crush and destroy North Korea. A commentary broadcast over state television repeated North Korea's position that only direct talks with the United States can resolve the nuclear crisis at hand. President Bush, in his State of the Union address Tuesday, accused North Korea of deceiving the world by developing nuclear weapons for years. He said the United States and the international community will not be blackmailed. Meanwhile, a top South Korean envoy just back from North Korea said officials there pressed him for help in arranging talks with the United States. Lim Dong-won returned to Seoul Wednesday after three days of talks in Pyongyang. He said finding a peaceful solution to the crisis will be a long and gradual process. Mr. Lim did not meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. But he said a personal letter from South Korea's president was delivered to the North Korean leader, and that Pyongyang promised to respond to the letter soon.
Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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A new poll finds that President Bush's State of the Union address appears to have persuaded many Americans of the need for military action against Iraq. The Gallup polling organization says 67 percent of people who watched the speech believe the president made a convincing case for military action. Before the speech, only 47 percent said Mr. Bush had made his case. The poll of 440 people who were interviewed both before and after the speech has a five percentage point margin of error. The president plans to touch on some of his State of the Union themes again Wednesday when he speaks in the state of Michigan. In his nationally televised address to Congress, Mr. Bush said America will not accept what he called the serious and mounting threat posed by Iraq. He said Secretary of State Colin Powell will present information to the U.N. Security Council next week on Iraq's illegal weapons programs and Baghdad's links to terrorist groups. The president said he will not wait for an imminent threat from Iraq and made it clear he will take whatever action he considers necessary to defend the security and freedom of the American people. On domestic issues, the president outlined his plans for new and quicker tax cuts to stimulate the economy and presented proposals to help make high-quality, affordable health care available to all Americans.
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The United Nations Security Council is holding closed-door consultations Wednesday on the next steps in the arms inspection process in Iraq. Council members are expected to discuss whether to give U.N. arms inspectors more time to search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. However, no decision is expected until after U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell presents new intelligence on Iraq's weapons to the Security Council next week. France and Russia welcomed the U.S. decision to share new intelligence. Both countries are permanent members of the Security Council with veto powers and are opposed to war against Iraq at this time, arguing that U.N. inspectors should be given more time to do their job. Chief weapons inspector Hans Blix says he will welcome more time, but cannot say how long it will take Iraq to answer outstanding questions regarding its past weapons program. |
