War in Iraq seems one step closer as it looks as though Turkey will allow its territory to be used to launch attacks.
The United States said it had massed enough troops in the Gulf to attack Iraq, even as Turkey appeared to come round Friday to letting its territory be used to launch part of the expected assault.
Washington pressed on with its drive toward war by working on a U.N. Security Council resolution that it hoped would secure support from an international community not convinced of the need to use force against Baghdad.
While many nations say U.N. inspectors must get more time to establish if Iraq has weapons of mass destruction, Washington, backed by its main ally Britain, says Iraq has already lost this argument and President Saddam Hussein must now be removed.
“If military force becomes necessary to disarm Iraq, this nation, joined by others, will act decisively in a just cause, and we will prevail,” President Bush said. “For the oppressed people of Iraq … the day of freedom is drawing near.”
A new UN resolution may not include a specific call for force, in order to obtain a majority vote in the Security Council. From the point of view of Bush, Blair, and their allies, a weaker resolution that passes is politically preferable to a stronger one that fails, because it will play better in terms of convincing the world that most of the countries do indeed back a hard line against Iraq.