CNN is reporting that the Pentagon is detecting preparations on the part of Iraq to use chemical weapons against U.S. troops. The DoD says it doesn't know where the CW are, but that it will destroy them if it can find them.
Also, the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan instructed the its 135 or so inspectors to bug out from Iraq. CNN is reporting the U.N. can get them out in about two hours. Rumors swirl of a Bush announcement tonight. War tomorrow or Wednesday?
UPDATE 10:09 AM EST: Sir Jeremy Greenstock, British Ambassador to the United Nations, that the resolution will be pulled and "we will not pursue a vote.". The diplomatic process is over. Greenstock criticized France specifically, but didn't mention it by name. The U.S. and U.K. will pursue their own methods of disarmamemt.
U.S. ambassador to the U.N., John Negroponte, called Iraq in "material breach" of 1441.
Well done guy!
sheesh Talk about Iraqis having a death wish.
Use of these weapons in the first Gulf war was deterred in part by the U.S. letting it be known quietly to Iraq that they might respond with small tactical nuclear weapons. That wasn’t widely covered, but it was aware of folks hanging out at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS.org) site because of its implications for disarmament.
Nat’, this couldn’t be done in Bagdahd proper but, then, chem weapons wouldn’t be unleashed there either. Unless, of course, if it were done in an act of stupidity which would bring new meaning to the term Sour Grapes.
Actually, there is reason to believe that Iraq did use chemical weapons in the Gulf War of 1991. Although, maybe not directly…but Iraq is believed to placed intentionally WMD’s in the path of oncoming forces in 1991, and the the Coalition forces destroyed these buildings releasing the chemical gasses/dust etc. Also, Dr. Hamza I believe his name is, former head of the nuclear program in Iraq…also collaborated adding that Iraq released the chemical weapons by destroying the facilities…
For more please read this:
http://cns.miis.edu/pubs/npr/vol04/43/tucker43.pdf