Britain beefs up Gulf force for war on Iraq
Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon said deployment to the Gulf would take place by air and sea "over the days and weeks ahead".
The massive land force, which will join more than 100,000 US troops in the Gulf, piles pressure on Saddam Hussein to comply with United Nations' demands to eliminate any weapons of mass destruction. The call-up, for nearly a quarter of Britain's army, far exceeded expectations.
As the troops were preparing to depart, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw yesterday warned time was running out for Saddam.
He told a counter-terrorism meeting of UN Security Council foreign ministers in New York: "The moment of choice for Saddam is close. He must either resolve this crisis peacefully, by the full and active compliance with his Security Council obligations and full co-operation with inspectors, or face serious consequences the use of force."
US Secretary of State Colin Powell said the Council must be prepared to take difficult decisions when the UN weapons inspectors report their progress on January 27.
Chief weapons inspector Hans Blix reports to the UN that day and Tony Blair will fly to Washington for talks with President Bush on February 1.
"We must not shrink from our duties and our responsibilities when the material comes before us next week," said Mr Powell yesterday.
"We cannot be shocked into impotence because we are afraid of the difficult choices that are ahead of us."
No commander has yet been appointed for the British contingent in the Gulf, code-named Operation Telic, said defence sources, who added that final decisions on the Allied chain of command were yet to be made.
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Michael Smith yesterday revealed that gardaí may board US military aircraft in Shannon to check for weapons if war breaks out.
"If a war starts in Iraq we will review the current policy where goodwill and trust exists," he said.
"I can give no cast-iron guarantee at the moment that weapons aren't being carried on aircraft landing here, but I am sure that the US are respectful of the fact that we are a non-aligned country.
"These type of planes have been landing at Shannon for years and we have always had a good relationship with the Americans in this regard," the minister said.
