Iraq attack plans complicated by Chinese fiber optics

WASHINGTON Ñ The Bush administration is examining options to combat and subdue Iraq's escalating military capability. But contingency plans are being frustrated by the ease with which the fiber-optics cables Ñ laid down by China Ñ were repaired after the U.S. strike in February

Officials said the White House and Pentagon agree that President Saddam Hussein's military must come under heavy U.S. attack. But they said the administration has yet to agree on targets and goals.

The dilemma for the administration, the officials said, stems from the February attack on Iraqi anti-aircraft command centers around Baghdad. The centers were developed by China, which laid fiber-optic cables underground to link radar with anti-aircraft batteries.

Several weeks after the February attack, the officials said, Saddam's regime had managed to repair and reoperate the sites. Since then, Iraq has steadily improved its air defense capability, Middle East Newsline reported.

"We've tackled some of their fiber-optic cable," Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said in a briefing on Friday. "The problem is when you do that, it gets re-laid. And the question is, so if you're going to do something, . . . what's its value and for how long does it last? And one tends to want to do things that will have somewhat more lasting effects."

Rumsfeld acknowledged that Washington must respond to Saddam's recent threats against U.S. and British warplanes as well as his neighbors in the Persian Gulf region. At the same time, the defense secretary said Saddam has been successful in persuading much of the international community that United Nations sanctions are harming Iraqis.

U.S. officials said the administration wants to launch an attack on Iraq. But they said the White House does not plan to issue any announcement or provide advance warning.

In Baghdad, Saddam has issued a presidential decree that makes further changes in the Cabinet. Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz was relieved of his duty as acting foreign minister. Saddam appointed Naji Sabri Hadithi.

It was Saddam's third Cabinet reshuffle in four months. Saddam has also assumed the post of prime minister.