U.S. Charging Ahead Towards War With Iraq

The Bush administration has failed to negotiate a cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinians and its refusal to rein in its Israeli allies is threatening to shatter the U.S. "coalition against terrorism". In addition, the war in Afghanistan is heating up, threatening to trap the Americans just as the British and Soviets were trapped before them. Nevertheless, the Bush administration is proceeding with its plans for a war against Iraq as if everything were going its way and is actively preparing a pretext for aggression.

It is reported by the Guardian's George Monbiot that the latest U.S. step towards war with Iraq is a coup against the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the United Nations agency responsible for enforcing the chemical weapons convention. Its director-general is the Brazilian diplomat Jose Bustani, who, during the past five years, has established an impressive record of overseeing the destruction of two million chemical weapons and two-thirds of the world's chemical weapons facilities. He has also succeeded in increasing the number of countries that have signed on to the convention from 87 to 145. In recognition of his accomplishments, Bustani was re-elected unanimously in May 2000.

However, in January the United States demanded Bustani's removal as director-general of the OPCW, citing financial mismanagement. An audit proved that there were no financial irregularities in the agencies and that its ongoing financial problems were directly related to the refusal by the United States to pay its dues. On March 19, the U.S. introduced a vote of non-confidence in Bustani. That vote failed. So now the U.S. has demanded a "special session" of the OPCW, which was to begin yesterday, with the objective of removing Bustani. In preparation for the special session, the U.S. has been threatening to destroy the OPCW if it does not submit to its demands. It appears that a majority of the member states may now be prepared to submit to this American blackmail.

Why are the Americans so determined to remove Bustani? Not only has he dared to suggest that the OPCW be allowed to inspect American chemical weapons facilities, but he has gone so far as to propose a peaceful solution to the problem of Iraq's alleged chemical weapons facilities. He has proposed that the OPCW be the agency to inspect Iraqi facilities, rather than the UN Special Commission (UNSCOM), which discredited itself by spying for the U.S., falsifying reports and concocting provocations to justify U.S.-British bombing raids on Iraq. Since the claim that Iraq possesses weapons of mass destruction is the only pretext remaining for the U.S. to use to justify a war against Iraq, the Americans are determined to prevent Bustani's peaceful solution from becoming a reality by organizing an unprecedented and illegal coup to remove him from office.

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