Het is niet waar, het is war!

[Henk Elegeert]

REPLY TO: D66 at nic.surfnet.nl

Ad Huikeshoven wrote:
>
> Ah, zielig,
>
> Bij de rapportage van Blix eind januari aan de Veiligheidsraad kreeg
> Saddam nog zes weken. Nu zijn we zes weken verder en begint de oorlog.
> Het 'nieuws' dat de oorlog vanochtend is begonnen is geen nieuws. Het is
> oud nieuws. Geen nieuws van gisteren, maar van zes weken geleden.

Niet dus:

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Mar2003/n03242003_200303244.html

Wolfowitz: Iraq War Is Part of Global Anti-Terror Efforts

"
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 24, 2003 – Operation Iraqi Freedom "is all a part of
the war on
terrorism," U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz said here
March 23.

The United States wouldn't be risking service members' lives in Iraq
today, Wolfowitz pointed out,
solely because Saddam Hussein is a dictator.

"He is a tyrant, but more importantly, he's a tyrant who threatens us by
his connections to terrorism
and his weapons of mass destruction," Wolfowitz remarked during an
interview with American
Forces Radio and Television Service.

Wolfowitz noted that "quite a few terrorists died" during March 21
strikes against a terrorist
complex located in northern Iraq.

And American and coalition forces "are still chasing terrorists in
Afghanistan (and) we're still finding
evidence in Pakistan or in the Philippines that's leading us to
terrorists who are planning attacks
against the United States," he pointed out.

"This is a global war," Wolfowitz emphasized, that is "going to go on
for some time."

Anti-terrorism forces are conducting a variety of valuable tasks, he
noted, whether on the front lines
in Iraq, in the mountains of Afghanistan, performing civil actions in
the Philippines, or somewhere in
the United States examining complex collected intelligence.

"It's all part of a single effort that's really government- wide,"
Wolfowitz pointed out, noting that
U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies have achieved "great
successes" against terrorists.

"But a lot of those successes would not have been possible without the
work that the military is
doing," he declared.

Wolfowitz assured those service members engaged in activities outside
Iraq that their efforts are
also being observed -- and appreciated.

Each day, he said, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld is briefed on
Afghanistan, the
Philippines and other aspects of the war against global terrorism, as
well as current circumstances
on the Korean peninsula.

Such global concerns demonstrate why the United States requires a robust
defense budget,
Wolfowitz pointed out, adding that America, indeed, has "big
responsibilities."

"And we have a lot of people, fortunately, who are willing to volunteer
to serve in our military to
carry out those responsibilities," he noted.

Wolfowitz said he, President Bush and Secretary Rumsfeld are "truly
grateful for their service."

Credit for the military successes gained in Iraq so far must also go to
the war planners, he pointed
out.

"An enormous degree of operational and tactical surprise was achieved,"
Wolfowitz said, when the
U.S. and its coalition partners decided to target Saddam's command-and-
control headquarters
and living complexes early in the campaign.

"Hopefully, that saved some lives," he added.

Wolfowitz read an excerpt from an article in The Weekly Standard
magazine, entitled "Why They
Fight" by Stephen F. Hayes, who interviewed an Iraqi named David.

David, only identified by his first name, was one of a number of exiled
Iraqi-Americans and some
native Iraqis whom the United States had recruited and trained to assist
U.S. troops when they
arrived in Iraq.

In the article, David was asked what he thought of anti-war
demonstrators, the deputy secretary
continued. David replied that he was proud of the demonstrators, because
that was what
democracy and freedom was all about.

However, Wolfowitz added, David noted that those demonstrators wouldn't
have such freedom of
speech in Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

"'Where you been when Saddam Hussein killed 100,000 Kurds?'" Wolfowitz
quoted David asking
the demonstrators.

"'Where you been when he killed a million Iraqi soldiers and Iraqis and
Iranians 
 Where you
been when he occupied Kuwait and killed over 1,000 Kuwaitis? 
 Why
nobody says nothing?'"
David continued.

Wolfowitz then relayed David's message for Saddam: "'What comes around,
goes around. Now
your time to go. Your time is up. Now we're 21st century. No room for
dictators.'"
"

Maar gaat het nu om WMD's, terroristen of dictators?

En heeft de VN überhaupt iets in te brengen?

Henk Elegeert

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