British dailies: the second American target
Regional-USA, Politics, 10/10/2001

The British daily " the Guardian" issued in London on Tuesday said that it is very possible that the second target of the current campaign against international terrorism will be Iraq whose name was temporarily lifted from the list of possible targets so as an international alliance against terrorism will be built.

The paper added that the US secretary of state Colin Powell was behind convincing the Congress to lift Iraq's name temporarily from the list of countries that might be attacked, noting that this position might be changed if it will be proven that Baghdad was involved in the terrorist attacks against the US on September 11.

The paper disclosed the US congress still promotes the idea of placing Saddam Hussein on the list of target in the late phase of the campaign against terrorism which also may include other countries like Syria and Iran which are accused of giving resort to " terrorists."

The paper warned that the US might lose the support of Europe and the world for its military campaign against international terrorism if it will try to pursue the policy of expanding the circle of the battle which President Bush seeks.

The paper added that Syria, Iran and Libya were accused of sheltering terrorists, but attacking these countries will drag the Middle East into a grave circle of unrest.

The paper added that at a time when the British foreign minister Jacque Straw explained that Britain gave its consent to the military campaign against Afghanistan only, the British prime minister Tony Blair did not hide his support to the American view point which calls for expanding the scale of the campaign against terrorism to outside the confines of the Afghani borders, when he told the British House of Commons recently that the war will not be ended even when the al-Qaeyda organization and Osama Bin Laden will be dealt with.

On the same issue, the British daily " the Times" said that several extremists in the administration of the US President George Bush has explained they doubt that the Iraqi president has a hand in the terrorist attack against the US in September after reports arrived saying that an officer in the Iraqi intelligence met with Muhammad Atta, the main accused person in hijacking the plane which attacked the first tower of the World Trade Center.

The paper stressed that any attempt to expand the scale of the attacks outside the Afghani border will divide the international alliance and even Britain which declared stand side by side with the US will find herself obliged to split from the Americans and this seemed clear when the British foreign minister underestimated the American desire to expand the circle of the military operations to other countries outside Afghanistan.

Previous Stories:
  Moussa warns against attacks on any Arab state   (10/9/2001)
  American-Arab association supports US actions in Afghanistan, but says they should have precise targets   (10/9/2001)
  Expanding the circle of the American attacks   (10/9/2001)

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