Friday, March 28, 2003

Invaders say war will go 'as long as it takes'
'US President George W Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair have vowed to wage war for as long as it takes to eliminate Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, as fierce Iraqi resistance raises questions about how long the fighting might last... some military sources as saying the war might last months rather than weeks. US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said there was no point in other nations trying to mediate a cease-fire. "I have no idea what some country might propose, but there isn't going to be a cease-fire," he said.'

No-one should be in any doubt about the ruthless aggression of these invaders, but nor should we be bullied by their continual bluffs of determination and inflexibility. Ceasefires and peaceplans need to be drafted and discussed continually, and reported prominently, to continue to isolate the aggressors internationally and force them politically to the negotiating table. It's disappointing that Europe has failed to condemn outright the aggression and call for the withdrawal of UKUSA forces. Diplomacy does not cease when the war starts, on the contrary, it has to be prosecuted even more vigourously, just as the peace movement must. Militarily, the war is a debacle, and there is a realistic prospect of UKUSA failing to overthrow the regime in a reasonable timeframe. Tony Blair and Britain is the weak point of the coalition alliance and there should be a sustained, multi-pronged diplomatic effort to detach the UK from the US war and bring it into alignment with Europe. Maximum and sustained pressure must be brought to bear on UKUSA to accept a ceasefire and a negotiated solution, possibly including the exile of Saddam Hussein. The diplomatic pressure must also be fully public, via the UN, just as the pre-war diplomacy was massively public and did real damage to the aggressive and neo-colonial ambitions of UKUSA.

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