Iraq destroys weapons

By Staff
WEAPONS INSPECTORS U.N. weapons inspectors chat with Iraqi officials today at the Ibn Firnas company in Taji, Iraq, 13 miles north of Baghdad. AP photo.
The Associated Press
March 4, 2003
Dismissing Iraq's destruction of missiles and bombs as inadequate and insincere, U.S. officials pushed ahead for a final showdown to authorize a war.
Iraq is not cooperating,'' White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Monday. Despite whatever limited head-fakes Iraq has engaged in, they continue to fundamentally not disarm.''
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, in a letter marking the Islamic new year today, accused the United States of trying to turn Arabs into slaves and said Iraq will defeat any invaders.
The tyrant thinks he is capable of enslaving the people and hiding the decisions, freedoms and legitimate choices (they were born with) when their mothers delivered them as free people,'' Saddam said in the letter, read early today by an announcer on state-run television.
Military forces continued to build up in the Gulf, although Turkey showed no signs of reversing a vote to allow in more than 60,000 U.S. troops.
France, Russia and China three of five members of the U.N. Security Council that could veto a U.S.-backed resolution to go to war in Iraq all pushed for more weapons inspections.
But Iraq must cooperate more, more actively,'' French President Jacques Chirac said Monday in Algeria. Together and in peace, we must keep strong pressure on it to attain the objective we have set: the elimination of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.''
Despite Saddam's tough talk, Iraq continued to destroy banned missiles to comply with a U.N. order. At least two Al Samoud 2 missiles were being crushed north of Baghdad today, Information Ministry official Odai al-Taie said. A missile launcher was being destroyed as well, he said.
Hiro Ueki, spokesman for the inspectors who are supervising the destruction, confirmed the destruction of missiles was continuing but wouldn't give details. Since Saturday, Iraq had already destroyed 16 of about 100 Al Samoud 2 missiles.
Workers unearthed buried bombs they say are loaded with anthrax, aflatoxin and botulin toxin, and Iraq let weapons inspectors interview the fourth Iraqi scientist in as many days.
Iraq is trying to show cooperation days before a crucial report Friday by top weapons inspectors Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei to the Security Council.
U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte said the United States expects a vote in on its resolution quite soon'' after the report on Iraq's level of cooperation is delivered.
Our view is that we don't need to debate this very simple and straightforward resolution,'' Negroponte said. We would expect a vote quite soon thereafter.''
The United States still doesn't have the nine votes needed to adopt the resolution, although it could decide to go to war without U.N. authorization. France and Russia have not ruled out using vetoes on the resolution.
B-52 bombers landed in Britain Monday and soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division set up camp in Kuwait, among 225,000 troops in the Gulf region. U.S. warplanes struck four communications facilities and one air defense facility in southern Iraq Sunday while patrolling a no fly zone'' and coming under anti-aircraft artillery fire. The Iraqi News Agency said six people were killed and 15 wounded.
Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright urged President Bush on Monday to wait longer before attacking Iraq, saying the buildup of force has led to disarmament and new inspections.
We are actually accomplishing something,'' said Albright, secretary of state under President Clinton. The president should take credit for the fact they are disarming.''
A new ABC News-Washington Post poll says nearly six of every 10 people support President Bush's plan to disarm Iraq, although 24 percent have serious reservations.