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Bush Says Iraq Is 'Grave
Threat' To US

10-5-2

KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine (Reuters) - President Bush said on Saturday war might be unavoidable if Iraq refuses to disarm, declaring Baghdad a "grave and growing" threat to the United States.
 
But while U.S. officials pressed on with their campaign for a tough new U.N. resolution on Iraq, Russia insisted on the swiftest possible return of international weapons inspectors to Baghdad under their existing mandate.
 
In his weekly radio address from his family's seaside compound at Kennebunkport, Bush called Iraqi President Saddam Hussein "a cruel and dangerous man" who had deceived the world about his weapons of mass destruction for 11 years.
 
"Our country values life and we will never seek war unless it is essential to security and justice," Bush said, previewing a speech next week in which he will explain to the American people, the U.S. Congress and the United Nations why the United States is prepared to go to war to disarm Baghdad.
 
"We hope that Iraq complies with the world's demands," Bush said. "If, however, the Iraqi regime persists in its defiance, the use of force may become unavoidable. Delay, indecision and inaction are not options for America, because they could lead to massive and sudden horror."
 
Washington is working with U.N. Security Council members to win support for a new resolution on weapons inspections which would threaten military action if Iraq failed to comply with the council's demands.
 
Britain has backed the U.S. text, but Russia, France and China have all expressed their opposition.
 
"There are no serious obstacles to inspectors returning to Iraq as soon as possible," Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov told Russian television. "From a legal point of view, no new U.N. Security Council resolution is required for the return of inspectors."
 
"Russia thinks that right now the most important thing is that the inspectors return to Iraq as soon as possible and start their work," Ivanov said, adding that October 19 had been named as the date for a first group of inspectors to fly out.
 
The Russian line appears to have hardened since Ivanov said earlier this week that Moscow might discuss a new document if it was crucial to the success of the U.N. mission.
 
The U.S. draft resolution demands Iraq allow inspectors anywhere in its territory, but Moscow says the mention of automatic use of force against Iraq in the draft is unacceptable.
 
GROWING THREAT
 
Bush will devote a rare, televised evening address on Monday to arguing his case against Saddam and outlining the threat he believes is posed by Baghdad's alleged chemical, biological and nuclear weapons programs.
 
He will deliver the 20-minute speech at 8 p.m. (0000 GMT on Tuesday) in Cincinnati, Ohio, a Midwestern venue that appears to have been chosen to show that he is seeking to prepare the American heartland for the possibility of war.
 
"The United States does not desire military conflict, because we know the awful nature of war," Bush said. "The danger to America from the Iraqi regime is grave and growing."
 
The prospect of a U.S. military strike on Iraq prompted protests in various countries on Saturday. Thousands flocked to peace rallies in Italy, waving banners and ringing church bells.
 
On the Greek island of Crete, demonstrators clashed with police a few hundred meters (yards) away from a meeting of European Union defense ministers.
 
At a U.S. intelligence base in Australia, hundreds of people protested against any war with Iraq and Australia's alliance with the United States.
 
The U.S. Congress is debating resolutions authorizing the use of military force against Iraq if needed to deal with Iraq's suspected weapons of mass destruction while the Security Council discusses a resolution demanding that Baghdad disarm or face the consequences.
 
Baghdad, eager to drive a wedge between the United States and other Security Council members, called on Russia, China and France to be "brave" and resist U.S. demands.
 
France has suggested sending the inspectors and having them report back to the United Nations before the Security Council would authorize more action. The inspectors were pulled out of Iraq in December 1998, hours before a U.S.-British bombing raid to punish Baghdad for not cooperating with the arms experts.
 
Iraq has sent Foreign Minister Naji Sabri to Bahrain, where he called on Friday for a show of solidarity against a possible U.S. attack he said would pose a "serious threat" to the oil-rich region. His next stop is Oman.
 
Washington would need regional military help, especially the use of air bases in Turkey and Gulf Arab countries, for an offensive against Iraq. Bahrain hosts the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.
 
Other Gulf Arab states may not allow U.S. forces to use their military facilities for any attack on Iraq.
 
"CRUEL AND DANGEROUS"
 
Bush said Iraq had stockpiled biological and chemical weapons in defiance of the United Nations, and was rebuilding facilities to make more. He said Saddam had longstanding ties to terrorist groups capable of delivering "weapons of mass death."
 
"We cannot leave the future of peace and the security of America in the hands of this cruel and dangerous man," he said.
 
In an apparent effort to answer Democratic concerns that he has no plans for rebuilding Iraq after possible military action, Bush also looked to a post-Saddam era.
 
"Should force be required to bring Saddam to account, the United States will work with other nations to help the Iraqi people rebuild and form a just government," he said.
 
U.S. officials said Bush wanted to ensure the borders of Iraq remained the same, a signal that Washington does not want to see the country divided among its ethnic groups, including the Kurds in the north.
 
A senior U.S. official said that Washington opposed naming a transitional government for a post-Saddam in part because the Iraqi opposition has failed to stop its infighting long enough to agree on a democratic vision for the country.





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