State must urge US to delay attack

FEARS that America is set to declare war on Iraq without awaiting UN approval have been further fuelled

While no major discoveries were made by Hans Blix and his team of inspectors, US President George W Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair have seized on criticism of Saddam Hussein for not co-operating fully with the search as clear evidence of a material breach of UN resolutions.

In the face of mounting international opposition to war, an Anglo-American assault on Iraq now looks

inevitable. The coming days will be critical as Bush and Blair head for summit talks and a battle deadline.

America’s relentless progress towards conflict in the Middle East lends credence to claims that the US is ready to attack Iraq’s society in order to control the country’s oil wealth.

Make no mistake, oil is the ultimate prize. By defeating Saddam and his tyrannical regime, the US would secure access to the world’s second largest reserves of crude oil.

If al-Qaida had tried to create turbulence in the world’s stock markets, it could hardly match the fallout from the US military build-up.

Beset by economic uncertainty and rumours of war, stock markets have tumbled around the globe in anticipation of negative US response to the Blix report. In Dublin, London, New York and Tokyo, billions were wiped off the value of shares.

Memories of the stock market crash in the 1930s are now haunting investors. The prospect of war has become a catalyst of financial crisis, if not a doomsday scenario.

Nobody should be under any illusion about Saddam Hussein’s willingness to use weapons of mass destruction, particularly the deadly chemicals being sought by UN inspectors.

The Butcher of Baghdad has already etched his name with the blood of his opponents.

His failure to co-operate has been cited as a possible trigger for war by Britain and the United States.

On the face of it, George W Bush is set to resist calls by other Security Council members, including France, China and Russia, to allow the inspections to continue.

In this bleak scenario, there is an onus on nations such as Ireland to make their views known. Given this country’s historic support of the principles of world peace, the Government should urge the US not to

unleash the dogs of war without UN approval.

It is vital to allow the inspectors more time to unearth evidence of Iraq’s arsenal of mass destruction.