US President George Bush’s call for increased pressure on Iraq won some guarded support abroad on Tuesday. But his strongly worded attack on Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, and hints of unilateral action, deepened concerns over the possibility of war.
In his speech, Bush called Saddam a ”homicidal dictator” and said he may be planning to attack the United States with biological or chemical weapons and could have a nuclear bomb in less than a year.
Though aimed primarily at his home-country audience — this week the US Congress opens debate over resolutions to give the president authority to attack Iraq — the speech was also seen as an attempt to rally reluctant allies abroad behind a US-led coalition.
Initial reaction was mixed. Australia and Japan were supportive. But a senior politician in the predominantly Muslim country of Malaysia expressed concern that Bush was ignoring world opinion, and New Zealand’s foreign minister suggested Bush was overreacting.
Though not mentioning Bush’s speech, a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry said Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov met US Secretary of State Colin Powell on Monday and stressed ”the necessity of resolving the problem of Iraq through political-diplomatic methods.”
New Zealand Foreign Minister Phil Goff was more direct — ”any action against Iraq must be multilateral (and) approved through the UN,” he said, adding that Iraq is not yet ”a clear and imminent threat that requires military action in self-defence.”
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Bush’s speech renewed pressure on Saddam to disarm or face military strikes. ”Saddam Hussein wouldn’t even be contemplating letting weapons inspectors back into Iraq if he didn’t fear the military threats from the United States,” Downer said. ”We think the speech is a very measured and considered speech. It puts the pressure in this debate very much on the shoulders of Saddam Hussein.”
Australia has been one of Washington’s staunchest allies in his campaign against Saddam and Prime Minister John Howard has not ruled out sending Australian troops to serve in a US-led strike aimed at toppling the Iraqi leader.
Reaction in the largely Muslim nation of Malaysia was more critical. ”We are for the US if it is a force for good but we cannot support the US if it pursues the course of unilateralism with scant regard for world opinion,” said Hishamuddin Hussein, Malaysia’s youth and sports minister.
”Maybe Saddam is evil, and he must not be allowed to develop weapons of mass destruction, but the UN must be given a chance to explore a peaceful solution,” he told delegates at the East Asian Economic Summit being held in Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur.
Japan supports Bush, but has also been reserved on the use of force. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s representative, Misako Kaji, said Tokyo welcomed Bush’s confirmation in the speech that it remains important to pursue a UN Security Council resolution. ”From that perspective, we welcome it,” she said.
Although Japan has said it will ”resolutely” continue diplomatic efforts along with the United States to assure that Iraq disposes of any weapons of mass destruction, officials have questioned the need for the use of force. The idea of military action remains highly sensitive with the public as well.
”It’s better if they don’t go to war,” said Toshiro Kobayashi, a shopkeeper in Tokyo. ”It would be one thing if war would solve the problem, but terrorist acts will happen again.”
In Rome, the private Radio24 said Bush was ”like a lawyer wrapping up his arguments.” The left-leaning daily La Repubblica said it was ”proof of nervousness by a presidency that will never have the carte blanche it wanted from both its parliament and the Security Council.”
Though not responding specifically to the speech, about 50 anti-war activists gathered in front of the US Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, to protest any plans for an attack on Iraq. Even before Bush spoke, emotions were high in Iraq, where a senior official told a rally that the country will teach the United States ”an unforgettable lesson” if it attacks.
”If America dares to attack Iraq, our reaction will be tough and decisive,” Sameer Abdul-Aziz al-Najim, a senior party official, said at the rally Monday in Baghdad. ”The Americans will be confronted by the one and united people who will teach them an unforgettable lesson.” – Sapa-AP