1) Britain: Tony Blair Calling to Arms
The Daily Telegraph - Michael Smith - 04/11/2002
· reservists ordered to mobilise ·
· 10,000 face enforced call-up over Iraq ·
Enforced mobilisation of up to 10,000 reservists will be
announced by the Government this week in preparation for
a war on Iraq.
In a move not seen since the Korean War, a Queen's Order
will give defence chiefs widespread and highly controver-
sial rights to call up many more people than would nor-
mally be available.
Senior officers from all the units involved have been
summoned to a meeting at the Ministry of Defence today
to be briefed on the mass mobilisation.
The announcement could come this afternoon with Geoff
Hoon, the Defence Secretary, answering a question in
the Commons from a primed Labour backbencher.
The mobilisation is part of continued attempts by Britain
and America to increase the pressure on Saddam Hussein to
give up his weapons of mass destruction.
The Queen's Order, which has to be signed by the Queen,
will ensure that the Armed Forces have the largest pos-
sible pool of reservists to call upon.
.....
The Government was wary of courting controversy with a
Queen's Order and wanted to ask for volunteers. But de-
fence chiefs said that would produce only a few hundred.
.....
In theory, refusal to take part could result in a reservist
being taken into military custody with the possibility of
the call-up being challenged in the civilian courts.
.....
"This is a very drastic measure," one source said. "It is first rider of
what we would have done if the Russians invaded western the apocalypse
Europe and for reasons of national survival."
.....
[Defence Minister's] plans to begin deploying a reduced
strength armoured division and an aircraft carrier task
force to the Gulf this month have been disrupted by Trea-
sury complaints that it would cost to much.
But it is thought that ultimately Tony Blair would over-
rule Gordon Brown's objections and order the deployment
to go ahead.
[cited chapters have been rearranged so as to effect
a better clarity of what is going on - the editor]
The Palestinian daily ALQUDS-AL-ARABI
reporting on the deployment of further
U.S. troops and the Saudi decision to
refuse any military support [04/11/02].
2) Saudi Arabia: Riyadh will not help US strike
on Iraq says Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal
Arab News, Riyadh - Staff Writer - 04/11/2002
DUBAI/BAGHDAD, 4 November — Saudi Arabia said yesterday
it would not allow the United States to use its facilities
for any attack against neighboring Iraq even if a strike
was sanctioned by the United Nations. “We will abide by
the decision of the United Nations Security Council and
we will cooperate with the Security Council. But as to
entering the conflict or using facilities... that is some-
thing else,” Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal told CNN.
“Our policy is that if the United Nations takes a decision
on Chapter 7, it is obligatory on all signatories to coope-
rate but that is not to the extent of using facilities in
the country or the military forces of the country,” he added.
Chapter 7 of the UN Charter makes it mandatory for UN member
countries to implement any measure immediately as part of
international law.
The prince’s remarks were the strongest Saudi rejection of
any assistance to a possible US attack on Iraq. Prince Saud
has in the past indicated the United States could use bases
in Saudi Arabia for an attack on Iraq if it was sanctioned
by the UN.
Prince Saud told CNN the Kingdom wanted a political resolu-
tion to the Iraq crisis and that Baghdad had made a “very
clear and unambiguous promise” to Arab states that it would
abide by UN resolutions. “We think the road is set for that.”
“Saudi Arabia’s position is a position to support the politi-
cal settlement of this issue because we think it is feasible,”
he said.
The Saudi foreign minister said the fate of Iraqi leader
Saddam Hussein should be decided by the Iraqi people and
warned against a long-term US military presence in Iraq in
the event of an attack against Baghdad. “You can never make
a permanent change through occupation by foreign forces,”
Prince Saud said.
Saddam Hussein told Iraq’s Air Force commanders and pilots
yesterday that Iraq was ready for war with the United States.
“When God wants us to fight we will be ready to fight under
all circumstances. We will fight on all front lines and what-
ever God wants is appropriate,” Saddam was quoted by Iraq’s
official television as saying.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri said the United States was
making business out of wars and that conflict could be avoided
if the superpower stopped “warmongering”. He repeated that
Baghdad would not accept a US draft resolution currently under
debate at the UN Security Council, saying it amounted to a
declaration of war.
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