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| Sunday, 9 February 2003 |
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Rumsfeld to push US case against Iraq at German conference by Yana Dlugyö ö MUNICH, Germany, Feb 8 (AFP) - US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was set Saturday to push the US case for military action against Iraq at a high-level security conference here while thousands protest the policy outside. In a debate at the annual Munich conference, the hawkish defense secretary was expected to try and shore up international support for the US policy of disarming the regime of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein by force. Rumsfeld is trying to build on the momentum created by US Secretary of State's Colin Powell's presentation to the UN Security Council Wednesday on Iraq's alleged program of weapons of mass destruction. While the United States appears ready to go to war, many western European countries such as France are deeply reluctant to endorse military strikes or, in the case of Germany, have categorically refused to do so. Rumsfeld set the belicose tone for his visit by saying Friday in Rome that global patience with Baghdad is running out and the world feels a sense of momentum in its dealings with Iraq since the Gulf War in 1991. "We've seen enormous efforts by the international community of a diplomatic nature and they have failed," Rumsfeld said in Rome following a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Major protests were expected for Saturday, with organizers promising what could be the biggest anti-war demonstration in Germany since the Iraqi crisis erupted last year. Rumsfeld's address was to be followed by German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer presenting Berlin's case against war, which is that it could cause irreparable damage to the entire region and that instead of military action, UN weapons inspectors in Iraq should be given all the time they need to complete their task. Germany's position on the Iraq crisis has strained its relations with the United States to the point where Rumsfeld this week lumped it with Cuba and Libya as countries that are not supporting the US position on Iraq. Rumsfeld is due to hold bilateral talks with counterparts from Germany, India and Russia during the conference. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov is also due to speak on Saturday. Russia has said it will not support a UN resolution authorizing the use of force in Iraq and has urged that United Nations weapons inspectors be alloted more time in the country. Russia, along with France, United States, China and Britain is a veto-bearing member of the UN Security Council. German and French defense ministers, US presidential hopeful Joe Lieberman, US Senator John McCain and NATO chief George Robertson were also due to address the conference Saturday. Munich braced itself for the annual gathering, deploying some 3,500 police officers throughout the snowy city. Authorities are expecting up to 20,000 people, including a radical core who may be intent on trouble, to attend a wave of rallies organized by a loose collection of churches, trade unions, anti-globalisation activists and peace groups. US officials have bluntly warned their citizens to exercise caution. On Friday, Munich's mayor opened the conference with a sharp reminder of why an overwhelming majority of Germans opposed military strikes against Iraq. "A great majority of the German people... are concerned, that a war which includes the bombing of cities would not bring freedom and democracy to the oppressed Iraqi people, but additional suffering," said Christian Ude, the Social Democrat mayor of Munich, at the conference's opening reception. "We are concerned that a military attack could set on fire the entire Middle and Near East," he said. |
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