- BERLIN (AFP) - German Chancellor
Gerhard Schroeder warned Wednesday against taking the war on terrorism
to countries beyond Afghanistan and in particular against seeking "new
targets in the Middle East".
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- Following hints from Washington Monday that Iraq could
be next to face military action, Schroeder told parliament that everything
must be done to maintain the international coalition against terrorism
and called for restraint in the debate on the future of the military campaign.
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- Schroeder warned that an expansion of the war on terror,
in particular to the Middle East, could have unforeseen consequences for
the allies.
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- "We should be very cautious in particular in talking
about new targets in the Middle East. We could take on more than any of
us is capable of handling," Schroeder said during a debate on the
2002 budget.
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- "We will do what is necessary, but will reserve
the right to decide what is necessary," he said, speaking of Germany's
role in the campaign.
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- Germany has already committed up to 3,900 troops to assist
the US-led campaign in Afghanistan, but it has ruled out participating
in airstrikes in the country or deploying ground troops.
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- US President George W. Bush on Monday warned Iraqi President
Saddam Hussein he must allow the return of UN arms inspectors to see if
Baghdad is developing chemical, biological or nuclear arms.
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- Asked what consequences Saddam would face if he refused,
Bush replied: "He'll find out."
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- Although White House spokesman Ari Fleischer sought to
play down the president's comments, the remarks came amid speculation that
Iraq could soon find itself in the crosshairs of the US-led war on terrorism.
-
-
- Bush went beyond his usual warning that nations aiding
terrorists will share their fate to include those developing "weapons
of mass destruction that will be used to terrorize nations."
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- "They will be held accountable," pledged Bush,
who launched a global campaign to stamp out terrorism after September 11
attacks in New York and Washington.
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- Meanwhile the deputy head of Schroeder's Social Democrats
parliamentary group, Gernot Erler, issued an even stronger warning against
expanding the anti-terror campaign to Iraq.
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- He told Berlin's Inforadio that there was an international
interest in allowing weapons inspectors to enter the country due to fears
Saddam Hussein was developing weapons of mass destruction.
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- But he said that attempting to draw a connection between
Iraq and the September 11 attacks and "saying 'the next country is
Iraq' is something I cannot warn against enough."
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- An attack on Iraq "would surely mean the end of
the great political alliance against terrorism".
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- Arab League chief Amr Mussa on Tuesday reaffirmed that
Arab countries would reject any strike on a fellow Arab state such as Iraq
as part of the US war on terrorism and warned it could spell the end of
the anti-terror coalition.
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- http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_ID=1682947748
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