DIPLOMACY: Iraq minister fails to rally gulf states

Union Leader ^ | 10/08/02 | TONY PERRY, Los Angeles Times

[kattracks]

DOHA, Qatar — As President Bush tried to rally the American people behind his tough stand toward Saddam Hussein, the foreign minister of Iraq arrived here yesterday on a mission to persuade Persian Gulf nations not to cooperate with a U.S. strike against his country.

Qatar was the final stop by Foreign Minister Naji Sabri on a trip to Iran, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. His message has been constant throughout the trip: the United States and Israel are the true “axis of evil” and that a U.S.-led strike against Iraq should be regarded as an attack on all Muslims.

But if Saddam and Sabri had hoped for active opposition by Persian Gulf nations to the idea of a strike by the United States to force a regime change in Baghdad, the trip was falling far short.

[The Great Satan]

What Bush has in his favor is that everybody knows Iraq's going to lose. What Saddam has in his favor is he started this thing, so he's already figured out Bush's moves in advance. It's going to be interesting, to say the least.