Blair Wants Ultimatum

British Prime Minister Tony Blair says that an international coalition must demand the elimination of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, and that demand must be backed by force. He said that failure to act as a coalition will imperil the legitimacy of the United Nations.

UNMOVIC Talks Winding Up

With the US-British resolution expected to show up as early as today, the BBC has Secretary of State Colin Powell giving the UN weapons inspectors a heads-up: "I think [the inspectors]... will have to wait and see whether or not the Security Council comes up with new guidance or additional resolutions." UNMOVIC head Hans Blix replied, "I'm asked by the Security Council to do this job, and I do it. I try to."

UN, Iraq in Inspection Talks

UNMOVIC head Hans Blix and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) officials are meeting with Iraqi representatives in Vienna to discuss the protocols for the impending inspections, currently scheduled to begin October 15th. The director of the IAEA, Mohammed El-Baradei, spoke of "progress." The talks are being held under the old inspection rules, which include inspections of "presidential" locations by appointment only. The talks will end tomorrow, when the IAEA and UNMOVIC must wait for UN Security Council approval of the mission.

US Aims At Iraqi Officers

The Washington Post put an older, but still interesting item on its front page: the US is targeting a propaganda campaign at Iraqi officers who have been given discretion to launch attacks using weapons of mass destruction. Secretary Rumsfeld testified to the House Armed Services Committee that the US will threaten to unleash its full wrath on any officer using the weapons: "Wise Iraqis will not obey orders to use WMD [weapons of mass destruction]. . . . The United States will make clear at the outset that those who are not guilty of atrocities can play a role in the new Iraq. But if WMD is used, all bets are off." WaPo points out that during the Gulf War, the coalition threatened to topple Hussein if he used chemical weapons. Now that "regime change" is the stated goal, the US must find another deterrent.

So far, no other outlets have picked up this story.

No-Fly Definace Bothers ‘Dickens’ Out Of Rumsfeld

Just about everyone covered Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's remarks on the "defiance" of Iraq in the no-fly zones, which seems to be the Iraqi-evil-of-the-day at the White House. The no-fly zones were established by the US, Britain and France to protect minority ethnic groups in Iraq after the Gulf War. "It bothers the dickens out of me that US and British pilots are getting fired at day after day after day, with impunity," says Rumsfeld. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer announced that attacks on US and British patrols have increased in frequency since the September 16th consent from Iraq to unconditional weapons inspections.

Two Republicans Hold Bush Down

The Washington Post has Sens. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) and Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) asking the President to work harder on building coalitions and support, both at home and abroad.

"I don't understand why the president would not want all the congressional and international support he can get if, in fact, the last option is taking a nation to war," Hagel said in an interview yesterday, a few hours after questioning Bush's broader policy of preemption in a major foreign policy speech. "The allies want to have a say, and should have a say, in how we initiate this effort."
The Administration rejected an alternative resolution put forward by the two Senators. WaPo says that a compromise resolution will be ready as early as today. The major sticking point seems to be the role of the UN: the Bush Administration does not want Congressional approval contingent on UN approval, moderates from both parties would rather see the President craft a coalition before military action. Bush, though, would like to have Congressional backing in his negotiations with China, France and Russia -- any one of which could veto a UN resolution.

Anti-War Protests in London and Rome

In London, between 150,000 (the official estimate) and 400,000 (the organizer's estimate) people marched through London to protest military action in Iraq. The march was organized by the Stop the War Coalition and the Muslim Association of Britain, and included London Mayor Ken Livingstone, a number of Anglican Bishops, and former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter. It was also meant to protest Israel's policy against Palestinians in the West Bank. There were three arrests.

In Rome, 100,000 people attended a demonstration organized by the Communist Refoundation party.