- CAIRO, Egypt (Reuters) -
Muslims leaders kept a united front of pressure on Washington Thursday
to avert a strike against Iraq, saying it could unleash fresh turmoil in
the Islamic world by widening a gulf between Muslims and the West.
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- But Britain and Belgium marked a subtle European shift
in tone, reminding Iraq it had to abide by U.N. resolutions or risk facing
Washington's wrath.
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- Although European states have repeatedly stressed their
opposition to striking Iraq, some analysts say reluctant U.S. allies may
now be turning to the United Nations to get political cover for falling
in behind an American war on Iraq.
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- Iraq chimed into the debate Thursday by saying there
was no point in allowing U.N. weapons inspectors back into the country,
because an "insane, criminal" U.S. administration was determined
to attack and oust President Saddam Hussein.
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- Vice President Dick Cheney said this week that arms inspections
could provide no guarantees of Iraqi compliance with U.N. disarmament resolutions,
and a U.S. official said on Wednesday Washington would seek "regime
change" whether or not he allowed inspections to resume.
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- While Saddam sent his deputy Taha Yassin Ramadan to Damascus
and Beirut and Foreign Minister Naji Sabri to China seeking support this
week, ordinary Iraqis went about business as usual, seeming to accept whatever
comes with fatalistic calm.
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- "We are not scared any more by American bombs,"
said one Baghdad shopkeeper. "If they start bombing, let them do so."
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- UNITED MUSLIM OPPOSITION
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- Washington says Iraq poses a threat to world stability
because it is trying to acquire weapons of mass destruction in violation
of U.N. resolutions imposed after the 1991 Gulf War.
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- Iraq says it has dismantled all such programs and wants
an end to punitive U.N. sanctions. It has refused to allow U.N. weapons
inspectors into the country since a U.S.-British bombing campaign in December
1998.
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- Pakistani leader Pervez Musharraf, a vital U.S. ally
in its war on terror, said Washington would not have the broad backing
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld forecast this week if it launched a strike
against Baghdad.
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- "This would have very negative repercussions around
the Islamic world," Musharraf told BBC Radio.
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- "Muslims are feeling that they are on the receiving
end everywhere. So there is a feeling of alienation in the Muslim world
and I think this will lead to further alienation," he said, predicting
greater Islamic militancy in Pakistan if Iraq came under fire.
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- Muslims around the world believe they were the main casualty
of Washington's war on terror amid rising anti-Islamic sentiment and a
perceived Western bias against their faith.
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- They say many say issues close to their heart, including
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and protecting civilians in war, have
received short shrift while Washington plowed ahead with its agenda to
rout alleged terrorists across the globe.
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- Indonesia's biggest mainstream Muslim organization, the
40-million strong Nahdlatul Ulama, also said it strongly opposed any U.S.
attack and would protest if the United States launched military action
against Iraq.
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- Rumsfeld's assertion that a U.S. strike would win international
support has already triggered negative reactions from Saudi Arabia and
Turkey, two strategically important nations should President Bush take
on Baghdad.
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- SHIFT IN EUROPE
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- In Europe, where NATO allies have often said they opposed
attacking Iraq, Belgium and Britain marked a subtle shift of tone Thursday,
putting the onus on Iraq to prove it was sticking to U.N. resolutions if
it wanted to avert a strike.
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- Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel said "Europe
will find it very difficult to remain squarely opposed to a preventive
strike" if Baghdad refused to abide by the resolutions.
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- Michel said he hoped foreign ministers of the 15-nation
bloc meeting in Denmark Friday and Saturday would discuss Iraq.
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- In Britain, the Foreign Office said it would consider
pressing for a deadline by which Iraq had to comply with the resolutions.
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- Separately, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw told
the Financial Times that the return of weapons inspectors was only a first
step, adding Britain did not rule out military action.
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- "What we are doing, what I want to do, is putting
the ball back in Saddam Hussein's court," the paper quoted him as
saying.
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- "It's certainly the case that the reintroduction
of weapons inspectors per se would provide no assurance of itself that
there would be compliance (with U.N. resolutions)," Straw said. "But
it's a first step on the way to ensuring compliance."
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