A reminder - More proof the Iraq war was just a desire for oil/money by bush et al

[Maraya1969]

January 16, 2003


TIME Exclusive:

Arab leaders hope to head off a war with a plan to facilitate Saddam's overthrow by his own generals

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,408784,00.html

Convinced that President Bush is serious about invading Iraq, Arab leaders hope to avoid war by orchestrating a coup in Baghdad. Well-placed sources have told TIME that Saudi Arabia is vigorously pursuing a concrete plan to encourage Iraqi generals to overthrow Saddam and his clique. Western and Arab diplomats say the Saudi proposal requires a UN Security Council resolution declaring amnesty for the vast majority of Iraqi officials if they orchestrate a transition of power in Baghdad. Such an amnesty would extend to all but 100 to 120 of the most senior Baath Party officials, including Saddam, his sons, close relatives and others who have long formed part of the ruling circle. It would be offered immediately prior to the outbreak of war as a signal to Saddam's generals that the time had arrived to save their own skins with a U.N.-guaranteed amnesty. And, the Saudis believe, it could well bring the traditionally coup-proof dictator tumbling down.

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Western and Arab diplomats say that Saudi Arabia is actively canvassing support for the initiative among regional players and Security Council members. This week, President Hosni Mubarak and Turkish Prime Minister Abdullah Gul flew into Riyadh to discuss the plan with Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Without confirming the details of the initiative, Abdullah told reporters that he believed war would be avoided. Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al Faisal also refused to comment on the initiative, saying only that Arab states want a final opportunity to seek a diplomatic solution to the crisis before the first shot was fired. "The concept is if you have a decision by the UN to go to war, give a chance for diplomacy to work before you go to war," Prince Saud told TIME.

The initiative marks a major turnabout for the Saudis. While the official position is still against regime change in Baghdad, the new initiative amounts to a knife in Saddam's back. And what finally pushed the notoriously cautious Saudis into action is the recognition that with tens of thousands of addition American troops headed for the Gulf, the Bush Administration really is ready to go to war.

The concern that has spurred the Saudis to move against Saddam is the same one that led them to tolerate his continued rule even after he invaded Kuwait — stability. Riyadh fears that war in Iraq could lead to chaos, civil war among ethnic factions and military incursions by neighbors like Turkey and Iran. They see a coup as offering a better chance of maintaining order and preserving state institutions necessary for providing public services such as security, health care, electricity and water. "They are trying to stage manage the removal of Saddam," says a Western diplomat. "The level of Arab anxiety about the war is sky high."

[Maraya1969]

1. Kick since this sunk like a whale