Saddam has 'thrown wrench in Bush's plans'
Saddam Hussein has "thrown a monkey wrench" into President George Bush’s plans to invade Iraq with his offer of talks on the re-admittance of United Nations weapons inspectors, a former UN weapons inspector said today.
Scott Ritter said he believed Baghdad’s offer to hold technical discussions with the chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix was genuine as he realised it was the only way to end economic sanctions.
But it also represented a clever diplomatic move by the Iraqi dictator to undermine President Bush’s drive to mount a military campaign to overthrow him.
"What we see now is in addition to a sincere effort also a bold diplomatic move to derail this headlong rush towards war that exists here in the United States and try to throw a monkey wrench into the machinery of war," Mr Ritter told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.
"If you return weapons inspectors you engage the machinery of diplomacy that will led to the lifting of sanctions and thereby the freeing up of Saddam Hussein to continue ruling in Iraq.
"This is the exact opposite direction the Bush administration wants."
