Bush Presented “Attacking Iraq Resolution” to the Congress

While there is a debate going on in the UN about the solution for the Iraq problem after the acceptance of the Weapons Inspection by Iraq, America is expediting the political and military preparation for attacking Iraq.

The New York Times reported that the Whitehouse would present the first draft of the Resolution for Action against Iraq on the 19th (local time).

The President George W. Bush met with the leaders of the Congress at the Whitehouse on the 18th and said, “The acceptance of the Weapons Inspection by Iraq is a swindle that cannot fool anybody,” and also said that the Government would present the Resolution against Iraq to the Congress within 48 hours and ask for an approval.

The Senate Floor Leaders of both parties, Trent Rott (Republican) and Thomas Dashley (Democratic) pledged that they would process the Resolution in union. Mr. Dashley said, “The Resolution can be processed before the session would be over on the 5th of the next month.”

In the meantime, the US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said, “To make the ground-to-air missile attack of Iraq powerless, we are planning to move B2 stealth fighter-bombers to the British Diego Garcia Island in the Indian Ocean.” This is the first time that the B2 stealth fighter-bomber is stationed outside of America. The B2 took off from the base in Missouri in Central America when America bombed Afghanistan last year.

The Department of Defense announced that about 2,000 US Marine Corps were planning to head to Kuwait at the end of this month for landing operations drill and a carrier Abraham Lincoln and George Washington were sent to the Gulf area and joined the 5th Fleet.

In response to this, the Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz criticized, “It shows that America is not interested in the massive killing weapons but gives herself up to find a justification for a war.”

Germany also urged America to stop threatening Iraq with war on the 18th. The Minister of the Foreign Affairs Joschka Fischer said during an interview with the ZDF TV that day, “It is not right to raise crisis in any case,” and “to change the regime of Iraq cannot be the object.”

In the meantime, the international oil price that showed subdued state due to the acceptance of the Weapons Inspection by Iraq changed to raising state after the news that the OPEC agreed to freeze the oil producing quarters was revealed.

The October WTI was raised to 29.80 dollars at one point in the NYMEX, and closed the market with 29.48 dollars, which was raised by 0.40 dollars (1.4%) than the other day.

And the November North Sea Brent Oil that dealt in the IPE in London marked 28.32 dollars, which was raised by 0.35 dollars (1.3%), and recovered 28-dollar line.

Reported by Hong, Eun-Taek

Eun-Taek Hong euntack@donga.com