Cheers, Ken Hanly
Behave or we attack, US warns Saddam By Toby Harnden in Washington (Filed: 11/10/2001)
IRAQ, which yesterday shot down an unmanned American aircraft in the "no-fly zone", has been told by the United States that it will be attacked if it exploits the situation in Afghanistan to further its interests.
"There will be a military strike against you and you will be defeated," John Negroponte, the US ambassador to the United Nations, told his Iraqi counterpart, reported the Washington Post.
The meeting between Mr Negroponte and Mohammed Douri, the Iraqi envoy, was the first diplomatic encounter between their countries for several years and reflected a growing desire from elements of the Bush administration to deal with Saddam Hussein.
Iraq has emerged as the single biggest issue that could divide the United States and Britain during the war on terrorism. The question about what to do with Iraq also represents a fault line within the Bush administration.
A British government official travelling with Tony Blair said yesterday that no other country would be attacked without "absolute evidence" that it sponsored terrorism and without the widest international support for military action.
He added: "We have no evidence that links the Iraqi regime with the events of September 11."
Officials such as Paul Wolfowitz, the Pentagon deputy, have urged action against Iraq. They point out that Mohamed Atta, ringleader of the hijackers, met Iraqi officials in Prague last year shortly before he began training as a pilot.
Iraq is regarded by Republican hawks as the great unfinished business of President George Bush Snr's administration.
Britain has strongly backed Gen Colin Powell, the US secretary of state and an opponent of action against Iraq, against Mr Wolfowitz.
Concern about Iraq has been heightened by the cases of anthrax in Florida. UN inspectors who entered Iraq after the Gulf War found stockpiles of the poisonous gases sarin and VX as well as evidence of experimentation with anthrax and other deadly agents.
This week, Donald Rumsfeld, the US defence secretary, said: "Without getting into evidence, terrorist networks have had relationships with a handful of countries. Among those handful-plus of countries are nations that have active chemical and biological programmes."
When asked if Iraq was one of those countries, he replied: "Absolutely."
Mr Negroponte arrived unannounced at the UN mission on Sunday shortly after allied military action against the Taliban had begun. After being taken into Mr Douri's office, he read from a prepared message.
On the same day, he lodged a letter at the UN that stated: "We may find that our self-defence requires further actions with respect to other organisations and states."
Kofi Annan, the UN secretary-general, said on Tuesday that Security Council members had expressed "anxiety" over the broadening of the conflict hinted at by Mr Negroponte.
Even if Iraq had no link with the September 11 attacks, the Bush administration fears it could take military action against its neighbours or America.
The problem the White House is grappling with is that in dividing the world between those for and against global terrorism, it might be encouraging America's enemies to band together against the US