Those countries include: Afghanistan, Albania,
Australia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Colombia, the Czech
Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia,
Ethiopia, Georgia, Hungary, Italy, Japan, the Rep. of
Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, the FYR Macedonia, the
Netherlands, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Poland,
Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey, the UK, and
Uzbekistan.
Powell: 30 Nations Support U.S. on Iraq
2:50 PM EST,March 18, 2003
By BARRY SCHWEID, AP Diplomatic Writer
WASHINGTON -- As the United States moved closer to war
with Iraq, Secretary of State Colin Powell said
Tuesday that 30 nations have declared varying levels
of support and 15 others have given their backing
privately.
Most of the nations named by Powell would not have a
combat role, but have allowed the United States to
base troops on their soil and to let U.S. planes
overfly their territory. Others have offered expertise
in dealing with possible chemical weapons attacks.
"We now have a coalition of the willing that includes
some 30 nations who publicly said they could be
included in such a listing," Powell said, "and there
are 15 other nations, for one reason or another, who
do not wish to be publicly named but will be
supporting the coalition."
Powell told reporters he had received assurances of
open support in telephone conversations Tuesday from
the foreign ministers of Denmark and the Netherlands,
which were listed, but that Russian President Vladimir
Putin had reaffirmed his opposition to war with Iraq
in a telephone conversation with President Bush.
But Powell said a mutual concern over terrorism and a
planned reduction in nuclear weapons arsenals "pull us
together, and I think we will have this disagreement
and move on."
At the same time, Powell said Iraqi President Saddam
Hussein so far had rejected Bush's demand that he
leave Iraq, but that a number of countries were still
trying to persuade the Iraqi president to go into
exile.
"He has essentially dismissed the message," Powell
said.
Asked when the United States may go to war against
Iraq, the former Army general said he had "learned
long ago not to make predictions."
The State Department released the list of 30
countries, one of which, Japan, was identified as only
a post-conflict member of the coalition.
Spokesman Richard Boucher said some of them "may put
troops on the ground," while others would take on
other roles, such as assisting in a defense against
the use of chemical or biological weapons or
permitting allied combat planes to fly over their
territory.
Boucher did not specify which countries would send
troops to fight. But Britain is known to have
contributed about 45,000 troops, Australia has offered
2,000 and Poland, 200. Albania has offered 70 soldiers
for noncombat roles and Romania contributed 278
non-combat experts in demining, in chemical and
biological decontamination and military police.
No Arab country was listed by the State Department.
But Boucher declined to say none supported the United
States against Iraq.
On the diplomatic front, Powell met with his senior
staff on Tuesday as "we move into a new phase of
diplomacy," Boucher said.
The U.S. focus will be on the humanitarian situation
and considering ways to assure food is distributed to
the Iraqi people and that oil exports are continued
after the war, Boucher said.
The spokesman said the United States would seek a U.N.
resolution to ensure food distribution.
Turkey was included on the list, and Powell said even
as the Turkish parliament debates a U.S. proposal to
use Turkish territory for an invasion of northern Iraq
he was confident of Turkish cooperation in one form or
another.
Powell also hinted that if the parliament accepts the
U.S. proposal the Bush administration might revive its
offer of $6 billion in special economic assistance.
Powell said war plans have been drawn up designed to
minimize Iraqi civilian casualties and to warn Iraqi
commanders about their actions. He said the U.S. aim
was "to make it as quick as possible."
Powell also said he would not attend a U.N. Security
Council meeting on Wednesday at which the chief U.N.
weapons inspector, Hans Blix, is due to make a report.
France and Russia, which opposed war and sought to
extend inspections, have indicated they would be
represented by their foreign ministers.
But Powell said he saw no point in going, and that
U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte would represent the
United States.
"It's not a question of the United States boycotting
the meeting," Powell said. "It's just that I don't
particularly see a need for me to go."
Paris: We may help in chemical war
Tuesday, March 18, 2003 Posted: 1:50 PM EST (1850 GMT)
France could help despite opposition to military
action, Chirac's ambassador says
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Despite French opposition to a war
in Iraq, the French military could assist a U.S.-led
coalition should Iraq use biological and chemical
weapons against coalition forces, the French
ambassador to the United States said Tuesday.
"If the war starts and if (President) Saddam Hussein
uses chemical or biological weapons, it would change
completely the situation for the French president and
for the French government, and President (Jacques)
Chirac will have to decide what we will do to help the
American troops to confront this new situation.
"But I confirm it would change completely the
perception and the situation for us," said Jean-David
Levitte, who told CNN he hoped that biological and
chemical weapons would not be used.
In Paris, officials emphasized Tuesday that Levitte's
remarks were based on what a spokesman in the foreign
minister's office called a "strictly hypothetical
question."
And an official in the French president's office
referred to statements made Monday by French Foreign
Minister Dominique de Villepin, who said, "If the U.S.
and our allies face a new and unforeseen situation in
a new crisis, France would obviously be on their side
to show solidarity in the face of an exceptional
crisis."
Although Levitte declined to give details on the
possible shape of French participation, he said: "We
have equipment to fight in these circumstances."
When asked why the situation would change matters,
Levitte said that "no army is allowed by treaties to
use chemical and biological weapons. This is
absolutely forbidden and if Saddam Hussein were to use
these weapons then he would a create a completely new
situation for the whole world."
Levitte also said France would want the United States
to go back to the United Nations and participate in a
Security Council resolution that would include
humanitarian aid and assistance for a post-Saddam
Iraq.
Earlier Tuesday, Chirac said "force is the very last
resort" in the standoff with Iraq.
"France's viewpoint is shared by a large majority of
the international community. The last debates at the
Security Council have clearly shown that they were not
willing to hurry through measures that would lead to
war," Chirac said in a televised statement.
"The United States presented an ultimatum to Iraq,
whether or not this was concerned with the disarmament
of Iraq or not or of a much-hoped-for regime change
inside the country, there is no justification for this
unilateral resort to war."
Chirac described U.S. President George W. Bush's
ultimatum "a very serious decision, in the light of
the Iraqi moves towards disarmament and while the
inspections were proving to be a credible alternative
to disarm the country."
The French premier urged maintaining the unity of the
Security Council over Resolution 1441.
"It's also a decision that calls into question the
future of the efforts to end the proliferation of
weapons of mass destruction," he said. "Whatever is
the future of these events, this ultimatum puts into
question the idea we have of international relations."
--CNN State Department Correspondent Andrea Koppel,
Correspondent Jim Bittermann and Producer Elise Labott
contributed to this report
=====
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John D. Giorgis - [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Tonight I have a message for the brave and oppressed people of Iraq:
Your enemy is not surrounding your country � your enemy is ruling your
country. And the day he and his regime are removed from power will be
the day of your liberation." -George W. Bush 1/29/03
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