 Bush Gives Saddam 48 Hours To Get Out Of Iraq by Scott Shepard and Chuck Lindell Cox News Service WASHINGTON -- A frustrated President Bush delivered a final ultimatum to Saddam Hussein Monday night, giving the Iraqi dictator 48 hours to flee into exile or face a massive military invasion led by the United States. "Saddam Hussein and his sons must leave Iraq within 48 hours. Their refusal to do so will result in military conflict, commenced at a time of our choosing," Bush said in a nationally televised address from the White House. Bush brought an end to all diplomatic efforts to disarm Saddam and prepared the nation for its biggest military venture since the 1991 Persian Gulf War led by his father against Iraqi troops occupying Kuwait. He also prepared the nation for war, raising the terror alert to the second-highest level and warning that terrorists may strike U.S. interests at home or abroad in response to military action against Iraq. Bush addressed some of his remarks to the Iraqi people, telling them that "the tyrant will soon be gone ... the day of your liberation is near." He also promised post-war assistance to help them build a "free and prosperous" Iraq. And he urged the Iraqi military to welcome U.S.-led forces into Iraq instead of defending Saddam: "If war comes, do not fight for a dying regime that is not worth your own life." He also warned them of possible war crimes should they use chemical or biological weapons against invading forces. Bush said the United States has made "patient and honorable efforts" for 12 years to force Saddam to disarm, but that Saddam has used diplomacy "to gain time and advantage" in pursuing weapons of mass destruction. "The United Nations has not lived up to its responsibilities, so we will rise to ours," Bush said. The president said military action is authorized under a United Nations resolution adopted last November and under resolutions adopted by the Security Council after the U.S.-led coalition's victory over Saddam in 1991. "This is not a question of authority," he said. "It is a question of will." Bush said other U.N. members "share our assessment of danger" posed by Saddam, "but not our resolve" to disarm him. Saddam remained defiant, however, warning that American-led military forces will find Iraqi fighters ready to die for their country "behind every rock, tree and wall." Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri said, "The only option (to secure peace) is the departure of the warmonger number one in the world, the failing President Bush who made his country a joke." U.S. military planners privately expressed concern that a desperate Saddam may lash out at the more than 250,000 U.S. and British troops massed in the region before his 48 hours are up. White House advisers differed over whether to establish a deadline, resolving the matter only hours before Bush delivered his remarks. The president decided on the ultimatum after determining that there was no chance of winning U.N. authorization for a new resolution requiring Saddam to disarm as part of the terms of his defeat in the 1991 war. "Obviously, we seem to be at the end of the road here," U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said. The president's speech capped a day of extraordinary events, signaling an end of diplomacy and suggesting that war is imminent:
Before addressing the nation, the president previewed his remarks for congressional leaders in a 10-minute meeting at the White House. Afterward, Vice President Dick Cheney and National Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice briefed the lawmakers on the details of the administration's plans. They did not disclose the amount of money the White House will ask Congress to pay for the war and rebuilding post-war Iraq. Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., the ranking minority member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he was assured that Bush would make a second speech, "the going to war speech," if Saddam does not leave by Bush's deadline. Sen. John Warner, R-Va., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he believed there was little chance Saddam would choose exile. "But I commend the president for giving him this one last, clear option," Warner said after meeting with Bush. Bush expressed disappointment with the United Nations, which balked at the president's insistence that it force Saddam to fulfill his obligations to end his programs to produce weapons of mass destruction. "The U.N. is an important institution and it will survive, and the United States will continue to be an important member of the United Nations," Secretary of State Colin Powell said. "But clearly this is a test, in my judgment, that the Security Council did not meet." The United States, Britain and Spain made a final push for a final Security Council resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq. But with France continuing its veto threats, Britain withdrew the resolution and the United States prepared its final ultimatum. "France regrets a decision which nothing justifies today, and which could have serious consequences for the region and for the world," French Foreign Minister Villepin said. |
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