Bulletin de liaison etd'information - Institut kurde de Paris

Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro
de la Prensa-Basm Özeti
February 142002
~~~~~~~_~~~_~~~~~~~_p~_~~s
---------- ------ -- -
forwaragaInst Iraq this year ------.-..
UStargetS--saCtCtirn--
J..-n Borger In Washington
and ..... ~
The Pentagon and the CIA
have begun preparations fOF
an assault on Iraq involving
up to 200,000 UStroops that
is likely to be launched later
this year with the aim of removing
Saddam Hussein from
power, US and diplomatic
sources told the Guardian
yesterday.
President George Bush'swar
cabinet, known as the "principals
committee", agreed at a
pivotal meeting in late January
that the policy of containmént
has failed and that active
steps should be taken to topple
the Iraqi leader.
But, aœordingto a USintelligence
source familiar with
CIApreparations, the plans for
a parallel overt and covert war
only landed on the president's
desk in the past.few days.
"I will reserve whatever options
I have. I'll keep them
close to my vest. Saddam Hussein
needs to understand that
I'm serious about defending
our country,"Mr Bush said yesterday.
Since the principals committee
decision, Colin Powell,
the secretary of state and
the doveofthe administration,
has pointedly added his voice
to the calls for a "regime
change':
"Weare looking at a variety
of options that would bring
-'Regime change
would be in the
best interests of
;the region, the
best interests of
the Iraqi people ...
we are looking at a
variety of options
that would bring
thatabout'
~InPoweII
that about," be told the Senate
budget committee.
The blueprint for a campaign
apinst Iraq has evolved
from a contingency plan
drawn up bythe joint chiefs of.
staff Qsatenvisaged the use of
a 200,000-strong USforce,the
bulk of which would invade
from Kuwait.
However, it may be that the
.actual force used will be less
numerous, relying more on
covert and special forces
operations.
Central Command bas already
set up forward headquarters
in the Gulf from
which each of the component
services will be able to coordinate
the war.
The air foree headquarters
(Afcent)is at the Prince Sultan
air base in Saudi Arabia. The
army beadquarters (Arcent) is
in Kuwait, wbile the navy
(Navcent) is in Bahrain.
CentraI Command's marine
component (Marcent) is also
expected to move to Bahrain
in the next few days, weeks
after the main marine force
left Afghanistan.
The US, Israel and 1\1rkey
were due to hold joint exercises
codenamed Anatolian
Eagle this year, but in another
sign of accelerated preparations
there will be three such
exercises in the next few
months, based at the 1\1rkish
air force base at Konya. Once
upgraded, Konya could be
used alongside Incirlik as a
base for air strikes on northern
Iraq.
The Pentagon's military
planners are reported to have
agonised over the Iraq plan because
of the significant risk
that Saddam - aware that unlike
during the Gulf war his
own life is at stake this time -
would use cbemical and
biological weapons against US
troop concentrations and
Israel.
The danger would be minimised
by intensive bombing
of missile launchers, but the
generals reportedly remain
extremely coneerned that the
risks cannot be eliminated
entirely.
The CIA'scovert war would
involve arming and training
Kurdisb fighters in northern
Iraq and Shi'ite forces in
Kuwait. CIAtrainers and special
forces troops have already
been dispatched to Kuwait for
that purpose, and mayalready
have begun work.
Meanwhile, CIAand special
forces willlauncb a campaign
of sabotage and information
warfare in the next few
months.
r- - -----
The CIAputs very little faith .
in the military capacity of the
main opposition movement,
the Iraqi National Congress,
but it has begun intensive consultations
with INC officials
about the logistics of training
and arming the movement's
supporters.
The trigger could be the
expected row over weapons
inspections in three months'
time. America's allies are clinging
to the bope that US military
action will be forestalled
by Baghdad's acceptance of
unconditional and unfettered
weapons inspections when the
international sanctions regime
comes up for review at the
United Nations in May.
However, Iraq's vicepresident,
Th.ba Yassin Ramadan.
said yesterday there
was no need for "spies" from
the UN weapons inspection
teams to return to the country.
A US state department official
said he thought it very unlikely
that the Iraqi regime
would be prepared to accept
the stringent programme of
inspections the US will demand.
As the American intelligence
source put it, the White
House "will not take yes for an
answer", suggesting that
Washington would provoke a
crisis. He added that he expected
the war to begin soon
after the May ultimatum.
US allies in the Middle East
have been informed that a
decision to attack Iraq bas
already been taken, and diplomats
from the region said yes...
terday they were resigned to
the inevitl.lbility of a war that
67