(Ha'aretz) Ze'ev Schiff - There is general agreement that the Iraqis have a relatively large quantity of chemical weaponry and of jet propellants that will ensure the explosion of a chemical warhead on a missile at a certain altitude. Iraq also still has about 70 to 80 Scud and Al-Hussein missiles. The senior Iraqi command needs to know, even before the war breaks out, that if they follow orders to operate weapons of mass destruction, each of them will be considered personally responsible and will be tried as a war criminal. In any case, if Iraq hits Israel, Israel must give a military response that will make its mark in the Iraqi memory and in the Arab memory as a whole. Although outwardly it looks as though Washington has no partner in the war against Saddam Hussein, negotiations with Turkey are drawing to a conclusion and involve very extensive foreign aid. It appears that agreements have been reached with Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and Oman, as well.
2002-08-19 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive