US warns its enemies to ‘learn lessons from Iraq’

AS thousands of Iraqis took to the streets to celebrate the fall of Saddam Hussein, the United States was already sabre rattling in the next phase of its war on so-called rogue nations.

As the giant statue of Saddam fell in central Baghdad, in a potent symbol of regime change, US foreign policy hawks warned America's enemies to "learn lessons from Iraq".

Iraq's UN Ambassador Mohammed al-Douri conceded defeat last night: "The game is over," he said in New York. "Let peace prevail."

Asked what he meant, he replied: "The war is over."

US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld fired a shot across the bow of Iraq's neighbour, Syria, saying Saddam supporters were escaping there and that Damascus was ignoring US warnings not to help Iraq's military.

In Rome yesterday, John R Bolton, US undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, warned Iran, Syria and North Korea to "draw the appropriate lesson from Iraq".

"With respect to the issue of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in the post-conflict period, we are hopeful that a number of regimes will draw the appropriate lesson from Iraq that the pursuit of weapons of mass destruction is not in their national interest," Mr Bolton told a news conference.

North Korea has reactivated its nuclear weapons programme and pulled out of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, heightening tensions with the US.

Last night, the US moved to pour water on its bitter relationship with North Korea, promising to pursue a diplomatic solution to their differences. Earlier the US had pressed the 15-nation Security Council to issue a strong statement condemning Pyongyang and urging it to resume compliance. However, the US was unable to win backing for such a statement from permanent council members China and Russia.

Iran has said its nuclear programmes are for peaceful purposes, while Syria has denied US charges of shipping military supplies to Baghdad.

US officials will meet an Iraqi delegation on Saturday, the first in a series of meetings aimed at establishing the Iraqi Interim Authority that will lead the country until an elected government is formed.

"We hope that these meetings will culminate in a conference to be held in Baghdad and the conference can form the Iraqi Interim Authority," said US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher.

Iraqi National Congress leader Ahmad Chalabi said the US has identified about 43 Iraqi leaders 14 former exiles and about 29 from inside the country to take part in the meeting. Boucher said the meeting should not be described as a "coronation" for Chalabi.

The CIA said it does not consider Chalabi a credible leader, although the US military flew him to Nassiriya on Sunday, giving his group a headstart over other Arab opposition groups in establishing a political presence under US protection.

US Vice President Dick Cheney and other US officials held off from a victory dance at the fall of Baghdad and cautioned that the Iraq war was not over yet. Still, a wave of euphoria swept through the administration as President George W. Bush and everybody else tuned in to dramatic TV images of Saddam's statue being toppled and the severed head dragged away by jubilant Iraqis.

US officials were cautious because Iraq is not secure from Baghdad up north to the Kurdish-controlled part of the country, including Saddam's hometown of Tikrit.

Saddam's whereabouts remained unknown after a bombing attack on Monday. News reports that he had been offered asylum in the Russian embassy in Baghdad were dismissed by the Russian foreign ministry.

Rumsfeld, criticised early during the three-week-old war for his war strategy, could not resist some chest-thumping at the Pentagon.

"Saddam Hussein is now taking his rightful place alongside Hitler, Stalin, Lenin, Ceausescu in the pantheon of failed brutal dictators, and the Iraqi people are well on their way to freedom," he said.

Despite US jubilation, they have still failed to identify any weapons of mass destruction - the original justification for unilateral military action in defiance of the UN.

Yesterday UN chief weapons inspector Hans Blix criticised the coalition forces. "There is evidence that this war was planned well in advance. Sometimes this raises doubts about their attitude to the (weapons) inspections." Mr Blix said yesterday in an interview with the Spanish daily El Pais.