Washington tells Arab ambassadors that it will strike Iraq very soon
The US Under Secretary of State for the Middle east affairs Martin Indyk told the Arab ambassadors accredited in Washington, during a sudden meeting that military operations against Iraq are very near.
The objective of the meeting was to brief the ambassadors as to what have been reached by the US President Bill Clinton and his national security team at the White House. The team comprises US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Defense Secretary William Cohen, Chief of Staff of the US Army Henry Shelton and the director of the CIA.
A source close to the Arab ambassadors said that Indyk used unfamiliar phrases just to inform them that the military operations against Iraq have become very close and that Washington does not welcome any mediation with Iraq, even if the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan approves to mediation, as well as "military operations against Iraq will be vast and long lasting and may cover several raids against the ruling system bases in Iraq."
The source added the military operations may be halted for one or two days and then to be resumed with the arrival of land, air and naval supplies which have already left its bases in the US heading towards the Arab Gulf region.
An Arab diplomatic source told the Lebanese daily al-Nahar that Indyk said President Clinton expressed satisfaction with the statement released in Doha by the Foreign Ministers of the Damascus Declaration signatory states. Indyk added that "the US President hopes that these military operations will purify atmospheres in the Middle east" so as to create a climate similar to that prevailed following the "desert storm" operation which led to convening the Madrid peace conference on the Middle East.
The source said Indyk told the Arab ambassadors that the Clinton's administration finds in what Iraq had so far done and the regret even expressed by its allies, namely France and Russia, would provide the chance for a totally new political chapter in the Arab region.