At the same time, U.S. officials reiterated their position that Washington will carry out its war plans with or without a UN stamp of approval. U.S. military forces have continued unabated their buildup of troops and equipment in the Gulf region. On November 10, U.S. and British warplanes carried out their latest bombing attack on civilian and defense facilities in southern Iraq, this one near the town of Tallil.

The representatives of the governments of Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States--the five permanent members of the Security Council, each of which has veto power--voted for the war resolution, ending weeks of well-publicized exchanges. Paris had played a leading role in prolonging the debate, advancing its own imperialist interests under cover of protecting United Nations prerogatives.

While agreeing to its rivals’ demands that Washington meet with the council to discuss any alleged Iraqi violations of UN resolutions, U.S. president Bush emphasized November 8 that this would not affect U.S. "freedom of action." Bush warned other governments ahead of time not to "lapse into unproductive debates over whether specific instances of Iraqi noncompliance are serious. Any Iraqi noncompliance is serious."

"If action becomes necessary," stated the U.S. president, "we will act in the interests of the world."

Syria also joined the unanimous vote, along with the nine other temporary council members. Presenting it as a lesser-evil alternative, Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaah claimed that "this resolution stopped an immediate strike against Iraq" at a meeting of the Arab League November 10.

The Arab League declared support for the resolution, asking only that it not be used by Washington as a "free pass" to invade, and suggesting that "Arab experts" be added to the inspection teams.  
 
‘Comply or die’
The UN resolution states that Iraq has a "final opportunity to comply with its disarmament obligations," relating to its alleged "chemical, biological, and nuclear programs."

The Security Council gave the Iraqi government seven days to accept the resolution. "The alternative is war," stated the November 9 Financial Times in an article entitled, "Comply or die is stark choice facing Iraqi regime."

If Baghdad accepts the onerous requirements of the resolution, the inspectors would arrive within a week. They would then have, in the words of the resolution, "unrestricted access" to everything and everybody, from underground facilities, to government buildings and residences, to "all officials and other persons."

The resolution gives the inspectors the "right to declare...exclusion zones, including surrounding areas and transit corridors, in which Iraq will suspend ground and aerial movement." It also grants them the power to "remove, destroy or render harmless" not only weapons, but also "records, materials, and other related items."

"More sensitive and intrusive investigations" will begin by the middle of December, reported the Financial Times. The inspectors will have the right to search government buildings, including Saddam Hussein’s residences, without notice. "France and Russia insisted on" this kind of "leeway" for the inspectors, reported the London-based daily.

After a series of other deadlines, the inspectors are required to report to the council no later than February 21, a date that "corresponds well to the possible war timetable," noted the Financial Times, citing "military analysts [who] say the U.S. wants to wage a military campaign" by February.

A letter co-signed by chief UN arms inspector Hans Blix and attached to the resolution insisted that Baghdad "guarantee the safety of air operations in its air space outside the no-fly zones." In the zones themselves, it added, "Iraq will take all steps within its control to ensure the safety of such operations." Washington and London have carried out nearly 300,000 bombing missions over the no-fly zones since imposing them on Iraq after the 1990–91 Gulf War.

Just one day after the UN vote, the New York Times ran a front-page article stating that according to White House officials, Bush "has settled on a war plan for Iraq" involving 200,000 to 250,000 troops. The only ally expected to contribute significant ground forces is Britain, it continued, "with several thousand troops expected to participate."

The assault from the air would include B-1 and B-2 bombers equipped with thousands of one-ton bombs. The ground offensive, said the Times, would aim at a "quick capture of land within Iraq, which would be used as bases to funnel American forces deeper into the country."

"The timetable for a war is closely tied to the requirements laid out in the Security Council’s resolution and to Mr. Hussein’s compliance," reported the paper. It noted that "White House and State Department officials are discussing...a ‘seamless transition’ from attack to a military occupation of parts of the country."

As the Security Council debate was entering its final stage, the Central Intelligence Agency unleashed a missile attack by a Predator drone on a car traveling through northwestern Yemen, killing all six people inside.

Among those killed in the November 3 attack was Qaed Salim Sinan al-Harethi, whom U.S. officials allege was a "senior al Qaeda operative." Reportedly killed in the attack as well was Kamal Derwish, also known as Ahmed Hijazi, a U.S. citizen from the Buffalo, New York, area (see article on page 9).

Operated by remote control, the Predator drones were used by the U.S. military over Bosnia in the mid-1990s and as part of the bombing assault against Afghanistan. They were deployed in early October over the "no-fly zone" in southern Iraq.

Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz hailed the strike in Yemen as "a very successful tactical operation." Confronted with the similarity between this attack and Israeli "targeted killings" of Palestinian leaders, Wolfowitz responded, "I’m not going to touch that."
 
 
Related article:
Imperialism’s course toward war  
 
 
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