Interfax Agency: US plans to invade Iraq in Mid-February

[murphy55d]

Put on MSNBC.... they're showing this now. Don't have a link as of yet.

 

[Gaard]

Doesn't make any sense...

the president just said yesterday when asked about a lack of support (particularly the UN), "We will form a coalition of the willing. Make no mistake, SH will be disarmed."

yet the announcers and guests are still saying, "If we do go to war..."

 

[Ime]

Bush better hurry up, then. North Korea seems to get crazier by the day!

 

[Queasy]

The U.S. has support, just not all the same support it had during the Gulf War. France is France and will always be against anything the U.S. does just as the UK is with the U.S. on most things. China will always be against America. Russia fluctuates depending on the issue. Germany is fermenting a new sense of anti-Americanism with their current leader.

However, the U.S. still has the support of Saudia Arabia, Turkey, Kuwait, Israel, etc. Others will fall in line once the U.S. proceeds to go after Sadaam.

As for North Korea, they are essentially playing a game of "give us what we want or we'll do this stuff you don't like." This is different from Iraq who has violated UN sanction after UN sanction for the past 12 years.

If a move on Saddam is going to happen anytime soon, it will have to be in February before it gets too hot in Iraq for our troops to operate effectively (try moving around in all their gear plus gas masks, biological warfare suits, etc). Otherwise, it will be a wait and more of the same until close to the end of the year.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Invasion plans have been moved up a bit.

 

[Czar]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/middle_east/02/iraq_support/html/un/intro.stm

I can count up to one who will actually join the war with the US if it doesnt get UN support.

 

[murphy55d]

Originally posted by: Czar
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/middle_east/02/iraq_support/html/un/intro.stm

I can count up to one who will actually join the war with the US if it doesnt get UN support.

That's a good site. Thanks for the link... very informative. 🙂

 

[dudleydocker]

What I wish would happen is irrefutable proof that Iraq is in violation of the latest UN resolution. The US says we are supplying intelligence to the inspectors. I also understand the risks in doing this as you potentially reveal/put at risk your sources of such information. It would be great to give the inspectors a REAL bombshell (forgive the pun) of a finding. See what the Iraqis would do...kick out the inspectors, take 'em all hostage?

I just want to see what all of these countries who are willing to drag this out for months would do/say if presented with real proof of Iraq's deceptions. Probably come up with some other lame excuses....

I understand Russia's and China's positions. But France and Germany can go straight to hell as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Martin]

Originally posted by: Queasy
France is France and will always be against anything the U.S. does

You do know they they fought in the first Gulf war, right?

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: dudleydocker
What I wish would happen is irrefutable proof that Iraq is in violation of the latest UN resolution. The US says we are supplying intelligence to the inspectors. I also understand the risks in doing this as you potentially reveal/put at risk your sources of such information. It would be great to give the inspectors a REAL bombshell (forgive the pun) of a finding. See what the Iraqis would do...kick out the inspectors, take 'em all hostage?

Well, as I understand the current UN resolution (#12 or 13 since the Gulf War) the responsibility is on Iraq to show that it has cleansed itself of Weapons of Mass Destruction. There are apparently tons of chemical warfare agents and other items that were discovered in the last round(s) of inspections that are currently unaccounted for and no proof of their destruction. Iraq has shown no willingness to account for these weapons.

 

[dudleydocker]

<<"There are apparently tons of chemical warfare agents and other items that were discovered in the last round(s) of inspections that are currently unaccounted for and no proof of their destruction. Iraq has shown no willingness to account for these weapons">>

And this is "cooperation" as defined by the French and Russians?!

Just WTF are we waiting for?

 

[Orsorum]

Originally posted by: MartyTheManiak

Originally posted by: Queasy
France is France and will always be against anything the U.S. does

You do know they they fought in the first Gulf war, right?

Always interesting to see ignorance in action (Queasy, not you).

 

[Red Dawn]

The thing is the longer Bush waits to attack Iraq the less support he'll have from his own people unless he can come up with proof that Iraq had something to do with 9/11.

 

[Orsorum]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
The thing is the longer Bush waits to attack Iraq the less support he'll have from his own people unless he can come up with proof that Iraq had something to do with 9/11.

Very true.

 

[Kraeji]

Hell YEAH

lets git em!

I wish i was in the military now.. soon i will be.

 

[Czar]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
The thing is the longer Bush waits to attack Iraq the less support he'll have from his own people unless he can come up with proof that Iraq had something to do with 9/11.

and the longer the wait of a proof the less international support he will get

 

[Rudee]

Originally posted by: murphy55d
Put on MSNBC.... they're showing this now. Don't have a link as of yet.

I was watching this and that is NOT what they said. They said it is "possible" for the US to have a large enough force for invasion as early as mid February. This timeframe is certainly no guarantee.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: Czar

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
The thing is the longer Bush waits to attack Iraq the less support he'll have from his own people unless he can come up with proof that Iraq had something to do with 9/11.

and the longer the wait of a proof the less international support he will get

Again, according to the latest UN resolution, the proof is supposed to come from Iraq that they have destroyed/dismantled all their weapons programs. Which is why I don't understand the reaction from those in opposition on the UN Security Council. They want more time for the UN Inspectors to do their job. The UN Inspectors aren't supposed to be hunting all over for weapons. They are supposed to be confirming that every weapon of mass destruction that Iraq has possessed is destroyed. Iraq is supposed to provide that proof and they are not.

 

[Bluga]

However, the U.S. still has the support of Saudia Arabia, Turkey, Kuwait, Israel, etc. Others will fall in line once the U.S. proceeds to go after Sadaam.
.

Support from those countries doesn't mean anything.

 

[Bluga]

Originally posted by: Queasy

Originally posted by: dudleydocker
What I wish would happen is irrefutable proof that Iraq is in violation of the latest UN resolution. The US says we are supplying intelligence to the inspectors. I also understand the risks in doing this as you potentially reveal/put at risk your sources of such information. It would be great to give the inspectors a REAL bombshell (forgive the pun) of a finding. See what the Iraqis would do...kick out the inspectors, take 'em all hostage?

Well, as I understand the current UN resolution (#12 or 13 since the Gulf War) the responsibility is on Iraq to show that it has cleansed itself of Weapons of Mass Destruction. There are apparently tons of chemical warfare agents and other items that were discovered in the last round(s) of inspections that are currently unaccounted for and no proof of their destruction. Iraq has shown no willingness to account for these weapons.

Apparent? Show me REAL ROCK SOLID PROOF.

 

[EndGame]

Originally posted by: Bluga

Originally posted by: Queasy

Originally posted by: dudleydocker
What I wish would happen is irrefutable proof that Iraq is in violation of the latest UN resolution. The US says we are supplying intelligence to the inspectors. I also understand the risks in doing this as you potentially reveal/put at risk your sources of such information. It would be great to give the inspectors a REAL bombshell (forgive the pun) of a finding. See what the Iraqis would do...kick out the inspectors, take 'em all hostage?

Well, as I understand the current UN resolution (#12 or 13 since the Gulf War) the responsibility is on Iraq to show that it has cleansed itself of Weapons of Mass Destruction. There are apparently tons of chemical warfare agents and other items that were discovered in the last round(s) of inspections that are currently unaccounted for and no proof of their destruction. Iraq has shown no willingness to account for these weapons.

Apparent? Show me REAL ROCK SOLID PROOF.

Well, refer to the final reports from the '98 inspections, that's what Blix and the inspectors are going by, do you not recall just a few weeks ago he stated in a media release that those weapons and agents were undeclared and as of yet unaccounted for and it is the duty of Iraq to account for the whereabouts of these weapons which were sitting and waiting to be destroyed when the inspectors left in '98. Iraq's "official" response was, "no response". They as of yet will not/have not aknowledged they have them or that they do not have them, but, considering they were sitting there stockpiled awaiting destruction, the inspectors left, and now they seem to have simply disappeared, what do you think happened to them?

 

[Dudd]

Originally posted by: Bluga

[/i]

However, the U.S. still has the support of Saudia Arabia, Turkey, Kuwait, Israel, etc. Others will fall in line once the U.S. proceeds to go after Sadaam.
.

Support from those countries doesn't mean anything.

Hate to tell you this, but those countries are much more important militarily than France or Germany. France and Germany have good militaries, but we can defeat Iraq without them. However, we need Saddam's neighbors to be on board because without them, how the hell are we going to move troops into the country? How will we set up our supply chains? We need the use of bases in Turkey and Kuwait as staging points much more than we need the countries a thousand miles away in Europe. If we want UN approval we need them, but otherwise, they hold little military value.