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Crisis with Iraq Grows…

© lawhawk

This article should be read in conjunction with Russian Politics Editor Jeffrey Deutsch's latest article that points out how important the Russian involvement in US-Iraq relations has become.

The current crisis between Iraq and the US continues to grow amid the scandal in the US over whether US President Clinton has committed illegal acts as a result of investigations into his alleged affair with a former intern at the White House. Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein will continue to stoke the fires of conflict by insisting that any actions taken on behalf of the US are only as a result of President Clinton's insistence to use force as a diversion to his own domestic problems.

To contradict this, Congressional leaders continue to reinforce the point that they will continue to support the UN embargo and the President's actions on this as this is a central theme in the President's foreign policy. It has not changed since the scandal at the White House first erupted.

Tensions in the Persian Gulf continue to escalate as the Iraqis continue to block access to suspected chemical and biological weapons production sites and denounce the US for conducting what it calls a witch hunt. Iraqi also says that the embargo serves no other purpose except to cripple the Iraqi population and deprive them of vital food and nourishment. They further contend that the US is continuing to hold up shipments of powdered milk. They say the Iraqi government has been forced to cut back the rationed amounts of powdered milk from six pounds per person to four pounds.

The US and UN continue to insist that the reason for the lack of powdered milk in reasonable quantities is because the Iraqis are hoarding the foodstuffs. Some foreign diplomats have privately said that the current food situation in Iraq was due to poor planning forecasts by the Iraqi government.

The Russian government is trying to play the role of an intermediary. It seeks to broker a deal between the US and Iraq to prevent a military clash between the two countries. Russian diplomats were able to broker a deal this past November to solve the issues.

Meanwhile, Israeli officials are jittery about comments made by the lead UN arms inspector that suggest that Iraq has the capability to arm medium- and long-range missiles with chemical or biological weapons with sufficient strength to devastate Tel Aviv. Israeli security forces have been warned by CIA officials that, should the US launch a military strike against Iraq, Israel may be the target for retaliation.

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