AMERICANS TO ATTACK IRAQ "SHORTLY"
TEL AVIV 9 Mar. (IPS) The director of military intelligence, Major General Aharon Ze'evi (Farkash), said Sunday that he believed the U.S.-led attack on Iraq would begin next week, the usually well-informed Israeli newspaper Ha’artz reported, adding that Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz also shared the “estimawtion”, telling the cabinet that the war was likely to begin "in a short time".
“In the Ze’evi’s estimation, the U.S. will launch its offensive against Iraq even if any of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council vetoes the second U.S.-sponsored resolution on Iraq, which endorses military action”, the paper said.
According to some British and american press, 17 March is the likely date for the start of the american-British assault on Iraq.
Ze'evi said his assessments were based on developments in the international arena in recent days and on the U.S. ultimatum calling for Iraq to disarm its non-conventional weapons by March 17.
Last week, Ze'evi told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that the U.S. may attack Iraq at any time from Sunday, based on the assumption that the Turkish parliament would this week agree to a U.S. request to allow its troops to attack Iraq from Turkey.
But France, Russia and China, three members of the United Nations Security Council that have the right of veto have again stressed that there was no need for a new resolution on Iraq, as, according to the last report from both Hans Blix and Mohammad al-Bradeh’i, respectively Chief of the UN inspectors and the Vienna-based International Atomic Agency, Iraq in being “more cooperative” in destroying its banned arms, including the “al-Samood II” missiles.
For its part, Iran, in a bid to save the Iraqi dictator, has proposed that Saddam Hoseyn organises a national referendum aimed at allowing a democratic government be installed in Baghdad, witgh the participation of all Iraqi opposition.
However, the proposal had been rejected by the Organisation of islamic Conference that met in Doha, the Capital of the Pwersian Gulf Qatari Sheykhdom, the present chair country of the 56-members Organisation.
Ha’aretz also quoted un-identifoed U.S. officials to have signaled to Israel that Washington will not oppose an Israeli response in the wake of a serious strike on the part of Iraq.
According to the a report published over the weekend by the “Los Angeles Times”, the American Administration has undergone a recent change of heart on the issue. While the U.S. would prefer to see Israel keep out of the war against Iraq and not respond to a possible Iraqi attack, America will not prevent an Israeli response if such an attack were to result in a significant number of Israeli civilian casualties.
During the 1991 Gulf War, the U.S. opposed any type of response on the part of Israel and refused to share confidential intelligence information that would have made an Israeli attack possible. This information included codes for aircraft that would have made it possible for coalition forces to identify Israeli warplanes as "friendly" and prevent any "blue-on-blue" - friendly-fire - incidents.
While there is still no final agreement between Israel and the U.S. over the codes, the sources made it clear that in the event it became necessary, these would be made available to Israel so as to allow it to respond to a painful strike on its population. ENDS US ATTACK SHORTLY 9302