US could crumble Saddam's regime, says opposition
Baghdad’s forces would crumble if the US invaded, a prominent Iraqi opposition leader told US officials in Washington yesterday.
Sharif Ali of the Iraqi National Congress said all Iraqis have abandoned their president, Saddam Hussein.
"The entirety of Iraq is opposed to Saddam Hussein," he said, adding that Saddam’s Republican Guard units - often described as the backbone of his support - would also turn against their leader.
And Ali said the London-based INC has militants inside and outside Iraq who are prepared to cooperate with US forces in the event of an attack.
But a senior Republican from President George Bush’s home state meanwhile cautioned against an unprovoked attack on Baghdad - exposing the splits on Capitol Hill over an impending war.
"My own view would be to let him bluster, let him rant and rave all he wants," said House Majority Leader Dick Armey, referring to Saddam.
"As long as he behaves himself within his own borders, we should not be addressing any attack or resources against him."
"He is what we in Texas know as a blowhard. He cannot help himself," Armey said. "We Americans do not make unprovoked attacks against other nations."
Speculation has been rampant about a US attack on Iraq, but the White House maintained yesterday that Bush had made no decision yet.
"If we try to act against Saddam Hussein, as obnoxious as he is, without proper provocation, we will not have the support of other nation states who might do so," Armey said.
A new poll shown two-thirds of Americans supporting military action against Iraq, but they want Bush to get approval first from Congress.
Bush has promised to consult with congressional leader and allies before taking any action against Saddam.
The White House believes the Iraqi leader is developing weapons of mass destruction to threaten the region and the United States.
UN weapons inspectors were barred by Saddam in 1993 after they were tasked with inspecting weapons facilities following the 1991 Gulf War.
Several rounds of talks between Iraqi delegates and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan about the return of the inspectors have stalled.
Yesterday, Saddam warned that anyone who attacked Iraq would be "digging their own grave".
"The forces of evil will carry their coffins on their backs to die in disgraceful failure," he said in a televised speech broadcast live around the region.
While not mentioning the US or chief ally Britain by name, the description "forces of evil" is often used in statements from Baghdad about US and British air strikes in the no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq.
