Iraq Scraps Missiles, Turkey Rejects U.S. Troops

02/03/2003| IslamWeb

Iraq started destroying its banned al-Samoud missiles on Saturday under the gaze of U.N. inspectors, complicating a U.S. push to win international support to go to war against Baghdad for failing to disarm. Four Iraqi missiles with a range exceeding the 93-mile limit set in U.N. resolutions were crushed under the supervision of U.N. inspectors on Saturday. "I can confirm now that four al-Samoud missiles have been destroyed," a U.N. spokesman told Reuters.

Iraq is thought to have produced around 100 al-Samoud 2 missiles, deploying about 50 in military bases around Baghdad.

Iraq and UN Agree "A Timetable & Action Plan"

Hiro Ueki, the spokesman for the U.N. inspectors, said the destruction of the proscribed al-Samoud 2 missiles, components and related systems was taking place at the Taji military base, some 25 miles north of Baghdad.

Uday al-Taei, a senior official of the Iraqi Information Ministry, said "a timetable and action plan" had been agreed for the coming days.

Divisions Within UN Security Council Remain

Iraq's promise to destroy one of its major weapons systems did little to heal divisions in the U.N. Security Council, with the United States and Britain saying it meant little and Russia welcoming the decision.

The United States says the missiles are the tip of the iceberg and that Baghdad is trying to mask the fact that it has huge stores of the weapons the U.N. requires it to scrap. Iraq denies it has banned weapons.

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw echoed the U.S. view, saying, "What Saddam Hussein does...is he plays the international community, trying to divide and trying to trickle out concessions."

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko applauded the Iraqi move.

In a pre-recorded weekly radio address, President Bush again threatened military action while promising a brighter future for the Iraqi people once Saddam is gone.

Iraqi Compliance Crucial Before Blix's Report This Friday

Iraqi compliance had been seen as crucial before chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix addresses the Security Council late next week -- after which the United States and Britain want to bring to a vote a draft resolution that lays the ground for war.

The scrapping of the first of Iraq's most advanced surface-to-surface missiles was hailed as a "significant piece of real disarmament" by Blix, but was dismissed by Washington as part of a "game of deception."

Turkey Rejects US Troops

In Ankara, Turkish leader Tayyip Erdogan said parliament's decision not to let U.S. troops use Turkish bases and ports was a "completely democratic result," suggesting he would accept it. The ruling party will meet on Sunday, but Erdogan gave no clue to his intentions.

There is widespread opposition in Turkey to a war on Iraq, but acceptance of U.S. troops, enabling Washington to open a northern front into Iraq and probably shorten any war, would have brought hefty U.S. financial aid and the chance to send Turkish troops into northern Iraq to protect Ankara's interests.

A simple majority but not the overall majority of MPs present approved the parliamentary motion, the climax of lengthy negotiations with Washington.

A State Department spokesman said only that the United States was seeking clarification of the vote.

Other Key Developments Concerning Iraq

*_ U.N. said its weapons inspectors conducted private interviews with an Iraqi biologist and a missile expert, the first such interviews since Feb. 7.

*_ The fragmented Iraqi opposition took a step toward unity and insisted they should be allowed to run the country's affairs if Saddam Hussein is ousted. Despite their differences, the 54 representatives of an opposition steering committee appeared to have established the groundwork for a post-Saddam Iraq.

*_ British Prime Minister Tony Blair said in an interview in The Guardian that opponents of military action against Iraq are as misguided as the appeasers who refused to stand up to Adolf Hitler in the 1930s.

PHOTO CAPTION

U.N. deputy chief inspector Demetrius Perricos speaks at a news conference at the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad Saturday, March 1, 2003. (AP Photo/Niko Price)
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