American reinforcement in Turkey for striking Iraq; Baghdad: dialogue with the UN will not bring back the inspectors
Iraq-USA, Politics, 6/28/2002

The Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri has announced that the expected dialogue between Iraq and the UN will not discuss the return back of the UN inspectors, but will concentrate on "implementing obligations set by the UN," while the US National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice said the US is proceeding in its way to get rid off President Saddam Hussein.

On the sideline of OIC meetings concluded on Thursday in Khartoum, Sabri said that the expected meeting between him and the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in Vienna on July 4 and 5 aims at "achieving a comprehensive solution for the question of Iraq and complete lifting of the brutal siege imposed on Iraq and honoring Iraq's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity."

Rice, on the other hand, said in an interview with the French magazine L' Express on Thursday that the Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and his regime constitute a threat to international stability. She repeated previous American accusations of the Iraqi regime in attempting to get nuclear weapons in 1981 and 1991 and that it expelled the UN inspectors because it has things it does not want to be disclosed and that Saddam Hussein had once used the mass- annihilation weapons against his people.

On the other hand, the Turkish daily "Yani Shafak" said on Thursday quoting sources at the Turkish foreign ministry that the US had transported soldiers by planes during the last two weeks and many of them were deployed at Incerlike base in Adanah.

The paper added that Washington has started reinforcement of its forces in the region following its decision to start military operations against Baghdad during the two next month. The paper added that the number of US troopers in Turkey will be increased from 7,000 to 25,000 during July.

However, the US defense department announced on Wednesday that Iran has recently prevented oil containers which carry smuggled Iraqi oil from escaping the UN monitoring ships.

Previous Stories:
  The US and the Iraqi opposition   (6/12/2002)
  Rumsfeld address Iraq issue upon his arrival in Kuwait   (6/11/2002)
  Rumsfeld leaves Kuwait for Bahrain; accuses Iraq   (6/11/2002)

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