A-Infos (en) US Congress Pushes for Iraq Strike 6 Feb 1998 FWD

[Tom Boland <wgcp@earthlink.net>]

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CONGRESS PUSHES FOR IRAQ STRIKE

By John Diamond
Associated Press Writer
Friday, February 6, 1998; 2:54 a.m. EST

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Clinton administration finds itself caught between
opposite forces over the Persian Gulf crisis: Key foreign countries unalterably
oppose strikes against Iraq, while in Washington, the only question seems to be
how much force to use.

With top officials in Russia, France and China speaking out against a U.S.-led
strike against Iraq, the administration is seeking to fend off pressure from
Capitol Hill to mount an air campaign large enough to topple Saddam Hussein's
regime.

There were signs of frustration within the Clinton administration over the
political pushing and pulling. Defense Secretary William Cohen, appearing at a
House hearing Thursday, bemoaned the disunity among the U.N. allies.

``We think, frankly, if the United Nations were to stand behind its own
resolutions ... that would be the best way to contain him,'' Cohen said. Some
allies -- he did not name them but was apparently referring to France and
Russia -- are approaching Iraq and saying, ```How can we make this easier
for you?' I
find that difficult to comprehend.''

To the suggestion that the United States may be spoiling for a fight, Cohen
said, ``This is not a matter of chauvinistic chest-beating ... We all
understand this (the use of force) is not the best way to resolve it. It
may be the only way, but it's not the best way.''

The already formidable U.S. military presence grew even larger with the arrival
in the Persian Gulf Thursday of a third aircraft carrier and the order by
President
Clinton for ships carrying 2,000 Marines to move into the area.

A senior British official briefed reporters in Washington on new information
about Iraq's chemical and biological arsenal, including 38,000 chemical
weapons, six missile launchers and 480,000 liters of live chemical agent.

At the White House, Clinton and British Prime Minister Tony Blair said they
doubted Iraq could be convinced to allow international inspectors unfettered
access to its chemical and biological arsenal.

``All of our experience with Saddam Hussein teaches us that diplomacy has very
little chance of working, unless it is clear to him that if diplomacy does not
work, then the threat and the reality of force is there,'' Blair said.

Since March 1996, inspectors have visited 63 sites where they believed the
Iraqis were hiding contraband. Inspectors were delayed from entering 38 of the
sites and flatly denied access to 14 others in the name of national
security. Iraq's repeated refusals have led to a steady buildup of U.S.
military force in the Gulf.

``We are very firm in our resolve,'' Clinton said.

For now, though, ``we'' appears to refer only to the United States and Britain.
Some Arab allies have agreed at least not to stand in the way if it comes to a
strike on Iraq. But the U.S. buildup comes in the face of opposition from
France, Russia and China to the use of force against Iraq.

``We have firmly adopted a stance of saying no to the force scenario. It is
impossible, it means a world war,'' Russian President Boris Yeltsin insisted
Thursday.

French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine made clear that France will not join in
any U.S.-led strike on Iraq now, telling Europe 1 radio that diplomatic
means to
pressure Baghdad remain.

Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen, speaking on state-run television, also
said he told Secretary of State Madeleine Albright that any military strike
could make matters worse.

On Capitol Hill, most of the rhetoric was in the direction of a massive air
attack on Iraq.

``If anybody is talking about a pinprick operation, forget it,'' said Sen.
Jesse
Helms, R-N.C., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. ``That
guy (Saddam) needs to be taken out and should have been taken out last time.''

Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., said he worried that ``when the
smoke clears he's still going to be there, maybe even stronger, and nothing
will
have been accomplished and we'll have to do this again.''

On Thursday, the carrier USS Independence, with 5,000 sailors and about 50
combat aircraft aboard, joined the USS Nimitz and USS George Washington. It
the 1991 Gulf War.

To give an extra measure of flexibility to the growing U.S. military
presence, a
specially tailored amphibious group, the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, based
at Camp Lejeune, N.C., began heading for the Gulf from its station in the
Mediterranean Sea, said two administration officials speaking on condition of
anonymity.

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