The US, The UN and Iraq

Exclusive: U.S. plans military campaign unparalleled in history
Bahrain | By Mohammed Almezel | 24/02/2003
...The naval officer said if the UN fails to disarm the Iraqi regime, the U.S. forces will do 'the job'. "We are ready to respond now," if President George W. Bush orders the strike, the officer said, but declined to give a specific deadline ...

... "But it will be an orchestrated effort involving the Navy, the Air Force and the Marines Corps; we'll attack from the air and the ground. It will be something the world has never seen before," said the officer, who stressed the U.S. military will eventually get the cooperation of two important regional allies; Turkey and Saudi Arabia ...

U.S. plan for Iraq: Hit hard, hit fast, protect civilians
Precision weapons, tanks, helicopter-borne troops would lead off attack

By Tom Bowman
Sun National Staff
Originally published February 24, 2003



WASHINGTON - An American-led attack on Iraq would be a three-dimensional fight, a synchronized ballet of lethality conducted with lightning swiftness.

Precision-guided weapons launched by ships and planes would obliterate key sites in Baghdad. Helicopter-borne troops and commandos would seize airfields and weapons depots. Armored units would rumble through the country from north and south.

As the United States moves closer to war, military officials and defense analysts describe the fast-paced attack the Pentagon envisions as "ferocious" and "highly kinetic."

Protecting civilians

War planners are going to great lengths to avoid civilian casualties and to deal with potentially huge numbers of refugees, officials say. Thousands of targets are being reviewed, spearheaded by "target boards" of military officers and civilian officials who decide which ones have military value and should be included on the list.

Three-dimensional computer models are created to look at each target to determine the best angle, bomb and fuse for an attack. Targets that could lead to civilian casualties require extra scrutiny and top-level civilian approval, officials say.

"No military in history takes more care to prevent civilian casualties than the U.S. military," said Jim Wilkinson, a spokesman for the U.S. Central Command, which is in charge of planning for an attack on Iraq. "However, when you're dealing with someone like Saddam Hussein, who has a history of using civilians as human shields, some civilian casualties may be inevitable."

Sources: Iraq Agrees to Full Compliance With Inspectors
Feb 25, 2003

Former Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov, reputed to be a personal friend of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, made a lightning visit to Baghdad on Feb. 23. The purpose and results of the meeting are shrouded in secrecy, apart from a statement by Moscow that Hussein was asked -- and agreed -- to cooperate fully with U.N. weapons inspectors.

Reliable Stratfor sources within the Russian government say Hussein indeed has promised to cooperate with the inspectors' demands -- including that Baghdad scrap its al Samoud 2 missile program by March 1, an announcement that sources expect to be forthcoming within days.

The importance of the meeting stretches much further, however. Sources say the Iraqi leader has agreed to a proposal by Russian President Vladimir Putin -- previously discussed between Russian, French and German leaders -- that Baghdad formally invite U.N. peacekeepers within the next 10 days or so to back up weapons inspectors. This, sources say, would show the world that Iraq will be unconditionally disarmed under strict and fully enforceable U.N. deadlines, with peacekeepers staying on in Iraq until the task is complete.

Sources also say that Hussein has asked Putin to deliver a secret offer to U.S. and British energy giants, inviting them back to Iraq as major industry players roughly 30 years after they were ousted from the country. The companies could return to Iraq immediately if Washington calls off its planned invasion.

U.N. Says No to Iraq Missile Compromise
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS


Filed at 9:55 p.m. ET

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Saddam Hussein indicated on Monday that he does not intend to follow U.N. orders to destroy his Al-Samoud 2 missiles, and challenged President Bush to an internationally televised debate via satellite linkup.

In a three-hour interview with CBS anchor Dan Rather, the Iraqi leader said he envisioned a live debate with Bush along the lines of those in a U.S. presidential campaign, according to the network. The White House dismissed the debate offer as meaningless.

The picture I get is that the US has been paying approximately 48% of the total expenditures ever since 1946-----The REST OF THE WORLD has been paying only 52 %----is this the picture you think is so indicative that we are shirking?????

THE UNITED NATIONS -- MYTH AND REALITY
AMERICAN SUPPORT

Fact Sheet



American Financial Support

Myth: The United States pays for almost all of the United Nations' programs and peacekeeping operations.

Reality: The U.S. pays 22% of the UN's regular budget and about 27.2% of the peacekeeping budgets. It also pays about 25% of the costs of the International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and Former Yugoslavia.

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Myth: The U.S. pays too much to the UN. Other countries are getting a free ride.

Reality: UN membership dues, known as assessments, are based primarily on each nation's share of the global economy. The U.S. economy represents about 31% of the global economy. The U.S. therefore benefits from the 22% ceiling on assessments for the regular budget. Many countries actually pay more in assessments than their share of the global economy.

Myth: The U.S. spends a large portion of its federal budget on UN policies/programs.

Reality: Total U.S. payments to the entire UN system (including the World Bank and IMF) amount to less than one-quarter of one percent of the federal budget. In 2001, for example, the U.S. paid about $300 million as its share of the UN's regular budget. All told, U.S. contributions to the entire UN system, including those for peacekeeping missions, amounted to about $3.5 billion in 2001.

[Also see the section on Financing in the United Nations Fact Sheet.]

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American Military Support

Myth: Too many American soldiers are serving in UN peacekeeping operations. The U.S. provides most of the military men and women involved in UN peacekeeping operations.

Reality: Fewer than 40 American military men and women are currently serving in UN peacekeeping operations. Americans therefore represent less than 1% of the approximate total of 40,000 soldiers serving in UN peacekeeping operations.