On the birthday of Adlai Stevenson, who convincingly delivered evidence of Russian nuclear activity in Cuba to the UN Security Council, Secretary of State Colin Powell addressed that same body to argue to the world America’s grounds for attacking Iraq.
Whether Powell, with his 80-minute speech Wednesday, can quell doubts as victoriously as Stevenson did will be decided in the coming weeks.
Powell extensively cited newly desensitized evidence of Iraqi arms, such as bulldozed chemical weapons sites, rocket launchers hidden under palm trees, and mobile bioweapon labs on trucks, reported by audio tapes of intercepted Iraqi conversations and satellite photos.
He also cited links between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda, suggesting that Iraq’s lethal weapons could land in the hands of terrorists, who could then strike the United States or Europe.
“Leaving Saddam Hussein in possession of weapons of mass destruction for a few more months or years is not an option, not in a post-Sept. 11 world,” Powell said.
With no direct proof that Iraq is working to develop weapons of mass destruction, and only roundabout accusations that Hussein is aiding a Baghdad Al Qaeda unit to attack the United States, the usual doubters of Bush’s call to war will probably stay their course in calling for inspections over invasion.
“Even if he had presented more facts, I don’t think he would have persuaded the critics, because they’ve taken a kind of fundamental position,” Frank Umbach, an analyst at the German Council on Foreign Relations, told Reuters.
Several European countries, such as France, Germany, and Russia argued immediately after Powell’s speech that the best way to address the American evidence is still through inspections, which should be amplified to increase their effectiveness.
France’s foreign minister Dominique de Villepin stated that inspectors have so far detected no biological or chemical agents, and that “the inspections regime favored by [Security Council] Resolution 1441 must be strengthened, since it has not been completely explored.”
Calling for tripling the inspectors’ numbers, de Villepin also proposed setting up a specialized force to shadow the sites and areas that have already been inspected, responding to Powell’s allegations that Iraq had “cleaned up” sites before inspectors could arrive and that continued to function after inspectors left.
“The use of force can only be a final recourse,” de Villepin said. “Why go to war if there still exist unused options in Resolution 1441?”
The Bush administration has still not ruled out France as an ally, according to administration officials.
The moment now most widely awaited is the next report by Hans Blix, chief inspector, to the Security Council on Feb. 14.