MEDIA REACTION IRAQ; HARARE

UNCLAS HARARE 000304 SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/PDPA FOR DALTON, MITCHELL AND SIMS NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER LONDON FOR GURNEY PARIS FOR NEARY NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PHUM KPAO KMDR ZI SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION IRAQ; HARARE ¶1. Under headline "U.N. must not allow U. S. to start war" the government-controlled daily dedicated its February 11 editorial to urging the United Nations to restrain the United States from attacking Iraq. Excerpts follow: ¶2. "The tug-of-war between the United States and a growing European bloc opposed to military action against Iraq, unless there is much better evidence of an Iraqi threat to international security, gives the United Nations a chance to show that it is not run for the convenience of its most powerful member. . . More countries and people throughout the world, including in the United States itself, are against a war with Iraq unless far better evidence of breaches of U.N. resolutions is presented by these independent inspection teams. With Russia, France, Germany and China opposed to a unilateral military strike by the U.S., the U.N. has a clear mandate to act tough on America. The U.N. must not allow anyone to start a war. The U.N. has a duty to put a stop to this rush towards the destruction of another country because its most important mandate is to keep peace and prevent war as well as enhance the security of all nations. There can be no greater threat to peace and security than the situation currently unfolding in the Middle East. ". . .Dislike of another government is not an excuse for war. Whatever weapons of mass destruction Iraq may once have had, some it acquired with American help when the U.S., for reasons that held little water then, covertly supported Iraq in its unsuccessfully invasion of Iran, simply because Iran humiliated the U.S. What is also disconcerting is that the U.N.- mandated war against Iraq more than a decade ago was fought by President George Bush's father using, in principle, the same war cabinet that has just changed roles. The younger Bush should recognize the wisdom his father showed when he decided that any change of government in Iraq had to be done by the people of that country, and not by an outsider, especially a distrusted outsider like the U.S. Bush Sr. forced Iraq to obey U. N. resolutions to withdraw from Kuwait and then, correctly, stopped. His son should do likewise and not try to twist U.N. resolutions to suit his own desires." SULLIVAN