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http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/international.cfm?id=1084862002 The Scotsman September 30, 2002 Former US arms inspector calls on Labour to oppose war TIM RIPLEY -"I am a hawk for rule of law, a hawk for doing the right thing." "This crisis not about weapons of mass destruction, it�s about the unilateral application of military power. Bush is manipulating the war on terror for a Pax Americana." -"Polls say 68 per cent of people support the war; that drops to below 50 per cent rating if we do it alone and they go to below 30 per cent if do it alone and suffer significant casualties - and we will. That�s why Britain will play an important role." THE Labour Party conference could play a key part in derailing President George Bush�s plans to attack Iraq, according to the former United Nations arms inspector, Scott Ritter. Blackpool�s Victorian piers and trams are a long way from Saddam Hussein�s arms factories. But a revolt in the Lancashire resort could put the brakes on what Mr Ritter calls an "illegal imperial" war to overthrow the Iraqi regime. In a whirlwind tour of Britain, Mr Ritter has been arguing that President Bush�s war plans could open a Pandora�s Box in the Middle East and cause casualties on a �massive scale�. Speaking to The Scotsman yesterday, Mr Ritter pushed home his point that a withdrawal of British support for Mr Bush�s policy of regime change could have a major impact in the US Congress, which is being pressed to give the White House its blessing for an attack. Opinion polls in the US point to a dramatic drop of support for the war if Washington has no allies, Mr Ritter said. If the Labour Party changes British policy, it could be decisive in the US congressional debate. "Where the British have got policy influence is in the Congress," Mr Ritter said. "If Blair lets Bush know he does not have a British ally, the president will not be able to claim that he has a coalition." He added: "Polls say 68 per cent of people support the war; that drops to below 50 per cent rating if we do it alone and they go to below 30 per cent if do it alone and suffer significant casualties - and we will. That�s why Britain will play an important role." "[US defence secretary Donald] Rumsfeld says no-one else matters but the US government is not just the Bush administration - the key is the US Congress. If you convince them [the US is] alone, then the war powers resolution will not pass. This Labour conference is a key part of the puzzle. "If Blair supports Bush then war is inevitable by late November, early December. We don�t have much time. The ball is in the Labour Party�s court. It needs to express its will." Since resigning from the UN Special Commission to disarm Iraq (UNSCOM) in 1998 in protest at what he described as US "corruption" of the inspection process to promote the US policy of regime change, Mr Ritter has become a media phenomenon. He has blitzed television studios, newspaper columns and even the Iraqi parliament to press his case. Mr Ritter was a keynote speaker in Hyde Park during Saturday�s anti-war march in London - despite not being a "natural demonstrator". He spent yesterday bouncing from one platform to another in Blackpool. "I�ve tried to provoke a debate, encouraging people in the Labour Party. Next I will take my case to the American people, exploiting my access to media, travelling around the country." He added: "It�s not about me, it�s about stopping war. This has been a full time activity for four years, I am focused on getting my message across." The former marine and Gulf war veteran, 41, has become a major thorn in the side of the Bush administration with his one-man anti-war campaign, timing his media appearances to achieve the maximum effect. "That�s why I addressed the Iraqi parliament when Bush and Blair were having their meeting in Crawford, Texas. They were trying to blanket the Sunday morning TV talk shows with �talking heads� promoting the war and instead they had me talking to the Iraqi parliament." Mr Ritter accused neo-conservative politicians and publications of launching a campaign of character assassination against him. However he is difficult to paint as a stooge of Saddam, describing himself as a hawk about disarming Iraq, who would "fight Iraq again given the right conditions". The main target of his venom is the unilateralism of the Bush administration, which he says breaches international law. "I am a hawk for rule of law, a hawk for doing the right thing," he said. "This crisis not about weapons of mass destruction, it�s about the unilateral application of military power. Bush is manipulating the war on terror for a Pax Americana." __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? New DSL Internet Access from SBC & Yahoo! http://sbc.yahoo.com --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.bacIlu Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
