UN Update
It looks like President Bush does not (yet?) have the nine votes he wanted at the UN Security Council and has delayed the vote for at least another day. Chirac has promised to veto the resolution if it does pass, making one wonder how much longer President Bush will continue to waste time with the UN. Voice of America quotes President Bush if the United Nations does not follow up on its commitment to disarm Iraq, even if that means war, the international body will become irrelevant.
Portugal has come out in support of the US because they appreciate the US's role in keeping the peace. Foreign Minister Antonio Martins da Cruz has a realistic grasp of foreign policy. I say this not just because he agrees with me, but because he understands the problem of the EU spending so little on defense.
...if Portugal were attacked, "it would be unlikely France and Germany would come to our rescue."He said: "Let us suppose Portugal, proper or its archipelagos, faced a threat, who would come to our rescue? The European Commission, France, Germany?
"I think it would be NATO who would come to our rescue, in other words, it would be the U.S., no one else would defend us. For instance, during the 1996 mission in Bosnia, operations took place with the support of 20 satellites, of which only one was European," and the remainder belonged to the U.S.
"If we were attacked, is that what they would offer to defend us? How curious is this: in Bosnia, when we were called to send soldiers urgently to that region, the U.S. had C-17 and C-130 planes, and France leased ferry boats, which during the summer are employed in tourist services to Corsica.
"Is this how we are supposed to project our forces in Europe? Are they planning to defend us with ferry boats? I cannot envisage the European Commission protecting us from an attack in which highly developed weapons were employed," the foreign minister said.
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar strongly questioned the rationale for those supporting the continued reign of Saddam Hussein.
"We don't have any material interests in Iraq...France has material interests in Iraq. Russia has material interests in Iraq. China has material interests in Iraq. We don't have any," Aznar told Telecinco television in drawing a distinction between governments on opposing sides within the U.N. Security Council.Asked by the interviewer if those interests explained the French, Russian and Chinese positions on Iraq, Aznar said, "That's a question only they can answer."
Aznar said Iraq was a threat to Spain. "If in the end military intervention is unavoidable, I will not shed a tear for that regime because it is a threat to everyone, Spain included," he said.
I believe Aznar's sentient is shared by most citizens and governments outside of France, Belgium, and Germany. We live in a time of change and change is frightening to those in power. However, I believe those fighting to keep Saddam in power are doing more harm than they realize. Only George Bush knows when the war will officially start, but I don't think it will be much longer.
