Rumsfeld, Powell said to differ over Iraq policy
SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Sunday, February 4, 2001
WASHINGTON Ñ The Bush administration is preparing to meet Iraqi opposition leaders as sources reported differences in policy recommendations between Defense Secretary Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Colin Powell.
The Republican-dominated Congress is pressing the
White House to increase U.S. support in the drive to topple Iraqi President
Saddam Hussein. Both the Iraqi opposition and its allies in Congress want
the United States to train and equip the opposition for battle against the
regime in Baghdad.
Iraqi opposition leaders were scheduled to arrive in Washington over the
weekend. The leadership of the Iraqi National Congress will meet Bush
administration officials next week and seek to resolve the aid issue, Middle East Newsline reported.
Administration sources said policy toward the Iraqi opposition appears
divided between Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who wants a vigorous
anti-Saddam drive, and a more cautious Secretary of State Colin Powell who initially opposed a U.S. military response when Iraq invaded Kuwait on Aug 1, 1990.
Powell, who led U.S. forces in the Gulf War a decade ago, wants to limit U.S. involvement to ensure that Baghdad does not
rebuild its nonconventional weapons program.
"I think we have to keep reminding everybody that this is an arms
control problem," Powell said.
The sources said the issue is whether to help the INC launch a guerrilla
campaign against Saddam from northern Iraq. Before he left office last
month, Bush's predecessor, President Bill Clinton, approved a $12 million
package for the INC to distribute food and establish a broadcast facility in
northern Iraq.
The administration is considering a $25 million aid package to the INC.
The package was discussed during talks last month between President George
Bush and his top advisers.
INC sources said the U.S. package could reach $33 million.
Already, the sources said, the administration has given the INC the
green light to return to Iraq. The details of the mandate, however are yet
to be completed.
On Friday, the Washington Post reported that the administration is
allowing the INC to use $4 million to gather information on internal
development in Iraq. The newspaper said this signals an increase in INC
authority.
"What we want to do is bring out political information, information on
the state of Iraq's military and enhance our contacts with our constituency
inside Iraq," the INC's Ahmed Chalabi said.
In a related development, the London-based Al Hayat daily reported on
Friday that Iraq and Kuwait are launching a reconciliation effort. The
newspaper said envoys from the two countries will meet over the weekend in
the Qatari capital of Doha.
Sunday, February 4, 2001
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