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Clock Ticks Toward War in the Gulf

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Iraqi President Saddam Hussein on Tuesday faced a deadline of less than 48 hours to quit his country or watch U.S.-led forces launch a massive invasion to destroy his government.


The deadline of 8:15 p.m. EST Wednesday was set on Monday by President Bush, who expressed his determination to oust Saddam by force in defiance of a wide section of world opinion.


"The tyrant will soon be gone," Bush vowed in a 13-minute White House speech broadcast to the American people and aimed also at the Iraqi armed forces.


"All the decades of deceit and cruelty have now reached an end. Saddam Hussein and his sons must leave Iraq within 48 hours. Their failure to do so will result in military conflict, commenced at a time of our choosing," Bush said.


The United States and Britain have 280,000 troops in the Gulf region, poised to invade Iraq in a pre-emptive strike aimed at rendering it incapable of using chemical, biological or nuclear weapons or of providing such arms to groups like Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda extremist network.


The looming U.S.-led war has split public opinion at home and abroad. France, Germany and Russia are among the nations that oppose the U.S. war plan. China's Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said on Tuesday war in Iraq must be avoided and U.N. arms inspections should continue.


British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Bush's main ally, looks set to suffer a huge revolt by ruling Labour Party legislators over Iraq on Tuesday as he scrambles to keep his government together and win over a wary public.


The U.S. government, warning of possible attacks on American soil if war breaks out, put the country on the second-highest level of terror alert and spelled out tough new security measures, including temporary detention of some asylum seekers.


RETALIATORY ATTACKS EXPECTED


"The intelligence community believes that terrorists will attempt multiple attacks against U.S. and coalition targets worldwide in the event of a U.S-led military campaign against Saddam Hussein," Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said.


Bush issued his ultimatum after giving up on the U.N. Security Council in the face of threats by France and Russia to veto any resolution that could be seen as authorizing war.


Without mentioning France and Russia by name, Bush said: "These governments share our assessment of the danger, but not our resolve to meet it."


Most U.S. officials doubt Saddam will go into exile. Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri told reporters in Baghdad on Monday that "any child" in Iraq knew Bush's ultimatum would be ignored.


Iraq denies possessing any weapons of mass destruction, which it was banned from acquiring under U.N. resolutions passed after the last Gulf War in 1991.


Bush said all foreign nationals in Iraq, including journalists and U.N. weapons inspectors, should leave immediately for their own safety. An attack could begin within hours of the inspectors leaving, which they were expected to do on Tuesday.


In remarks addressed to Iraqi troops, Bush said: "If war comes, do not fight for a dying regime that is not worth your own life." He promised food, medicine and eventually democracy for Iraqis.


Australia on Tuesday committed its troops to any U.S.-led attack on Iraq. "This decision was taken at a cabinet meeting this morning following a further telephone discussion between myself and President Bush," Prime Minister John Howard said as protests began in a nation divided over the need for war.


Turkey's cabinet, after days of delay, said it would discuss on Tuesday a resolution allowing U.S. forces to use its territory to launch a northern front against Iraq and could put it to parliament on Wednesday. The parliament previously rejected the plan but with war now virtually inevitable, Turkey may want to join the U.S.-led coalition before it is too late.

DIVIDED NATION, DIVIDED WORLD

Members of the U.S. Congress reflected a divided American public as they voiced support, fears and concerns about the march to war. Lawmakers rallied around U.S. forces even as some of them expressed sharp differences over how Bush has handled perhaps the biggest diplomatic crisis of his presidency.

Many Democrats blamed Bush for the failure to build a broad international coalition against Saddam while most of his fellow Republicans saluted the president for leading a charge to disarm the Iraqi leader.

"I'm saddened, saddened that this president failed so miserably at diplomacy that we're now forced to war," said Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota.

Oil prices skidded and Asian stocks jumped on Tuesday after Bush's ultimatum cleared a pall of uncertainty that had hung over global markets for months.

The U.S. dollar kept its overnight gains and key Asian markets rose two to four percent after a Wall Street rally on expectations for a swift and decisive military strike.

"At the moment, markets are truly backing the view that it's going to be a short, sharp, successful affair that will reduce the uncertainty that's been a driver on markets up until this point," said Michael Wilson, chief investment officer at Ausbil Dexia in Sydney.


The U.S. government put the country on the second-highest level of security alert, orange, and warned of possible attacks against the United States if the country takes military action against Iraq, March 17, 2003.