Visiting US official: Saddam ouster not enough

Exiling Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is not enough to avert war between Iraq and the United States, US Undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security John Bolton said yesterday.

"The centerpiece has been that Iraq should give up weapons of mass destruction, whether it’s with or without Saddam, the objective remains the same," Bolton said in an interview with reporters on his arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

Washington will wait for the United Nations arms inspectors to submit their first full report on Jan. 27 before any decision on a military strike is made, Bolton said.

"In terms of what happens after that, that will just be speculations at this point because no decisions has been made. One thing that is absolutely clear is that Iraq has to give up weapons of mass destruction," he said, adding that Asian countries were unanimous in supporting the US position.

Bolton is on a swing of the Asian region to rally support for the looming US war on Iraq. He had visited New Zealand, Singapore and Malaysia before coming to the Philippines.

Another consideration, Bolton said, was the neutral ground where the Iraqi leader may seek refuge. "There has been no third country that has offered (to take Saddam)," Bolton said. "I think that’s a requirement."

Nevertheless, he said, "I suppose anything is possible."

"If Saddam were to leave Baghdad, that might result in greater possibility of Iraqis complying (with the United Nations resolution on Iraq)," Bolton said.

Bolton’s statements were issued even as US troops are already on war footing in the Middle East.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas Ople said Wednesday some Arab ambassadors with whom he spoke are thinking of persuading Saddam to peacefully leave Iraq to avert the imminent war between Iraq and the US.

According to Ople, these envoys intend to propose that Saddam seek asylum in Libya, even as the US wants to build a MacArthur-type transition government in Iraq.

Iraq’s December declaration of its weapons submitted to the UN was "false and misleading" and contained omissions, Bolton said.

He said the US government was still hopeful international arms inspectors would be able to find hidden Iraqi weapons.

"If they are not able to do that by the 27th, then we have to take that into account," Bolton said.

President George W. Bush, however, has committed to "further discussions with the security council," he said.

Meanwhile, a highly reliable source in the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) revealed yesterday that the US is now looking at a "post-conflict" scenario with Iraq, as this was part of the discussion between Bolton and Ople at their meeting.

"The US wants to maintain territorial integrity over Iraq and put up a MacArthur-type setup" similar to the transition government set up by US Gen. Douglas MacArthur in Japan following Japan’s defeat in the Pacific War.

The Americans also want Iraq to be intact as a country, by maintaining its territorial integrity, as well as ensure that no neighboring country will take advantage of the situation by trying to cede some parts of Iraq to foreign forces. The source said somebody must have total control over the entire territory. – With AFP