Washington’s war drums muffle the UN voice - 10 September, 2002

The USA has concentrated over 100 thousand servicemen in the Persian Gulf area, who are supposed to participate in an offensive in Iraq. A US aircraft carrier George Washington, that is so remarkable for its participation in the operation against Afghanistan, has been standing in the Gulf area since June already. Captain of the aircraft carrier, Rear Admiral Joseph Sestak says his command is fully prepared for the next phase of war on terrorism.  “68% of our pilots are currently active participants of bombardments. If we are ordered, we are ready to fulfill our mission,” Joseph Sestak says. And there is no doubt that the order will be issued.

At the same time, a show called “Away with Hussein!” is at its height across the ocean. An extraordinary session of the UN General Assembly is to open in the nearest time in New York. Iraq is to be the key subject on the agenda.

Washington mentioned several times already that it could deliver a blow against Iraq alone. However, practically all of the rest countries insist that a joint decision is to be made in the network of the UN Security Council. A Russian delegation headed by Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov has arrived in New York to state its support to this position. In Ivanov’s words, “It is really very important to avoid using the war on terrorism for purposing some other objectives, interference in the domestic affairs of other sovereign states first of all. Russia insists that international inspectors should be welcomed back in Iraq, as it is provided by the resolutions of the UN Security Council.” 

Overwhelming majority of the delegates support Russia’s position, however, the USA is not confused about it at all. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan also disagrees with the US’s position concerning Iraq; he says that the world community has not yet obtained any evidence to Washington’s charges against Baghdad. US’s intentions cause many questions. “What is to come out of Iraq after the bombing? What is to happen in the region? All world leaders want to know what consequences the bombing will bring,” the UN secretary general says.

However, Annan’s voice, as well as appeals of the United Nations, are muffled by war drums of Washington. Iraq understands it perfectly well, that is why it is getting ready for a war. Today Kurd sources inform that Baghdad has started withdrawal of its military units from northern provinces. The troops abandoned a military camp and checkpoint on the border of the provinces of Erbil and Kirkuk. Observers with Kurd newspapers say, the same will happen in other areas as well. January of 1991 is still vivid in the region, when the Desert Storm operation started, and thousands of  armed Iraqi servicemen surrendered to the local Kurdish authorities.

Dmitry Chirkin
PRAVDA.Ru