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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 15, 2003)
Rising pressure delays Iraq war Warren P. Strobel Knight Ridder Newspapers (KRT) WASHINGTON — Even as U.S. troops and armor pour into the Per sian Gulf, President Bush faces rising pressures on multiple fronts to slow down the momentum toward war. As recently as a few weeks ago, senior Bush administration officials were suggesting that a U.S. invasion to oust Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein might begin soon after a pivotal re port from United Nations’ weapons inspectors on Jan. 27. Now, the target date appears to have slipped to late February or ear ly March at the soonest, U.S. officials and analysts say. In the latest sign of a possible de lay, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld is said to be leaning against a plan to begin a war in Iraq with bombing before all necessary U.S. ground forces are assembled in the Persian Gulf region. Those forces are not expected to be in place be fore mid-February. The apparent rejection of that so called “rolling start” option is just one of the diplomatic, military and domestic developments that could postpone the invasion start beyond the mid-winter date favored by Bush’s more hawkish advisers. Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix insisted this week that he need ed until at least March to assess Iraq’s willingness to disarm peacefully. “We have no such timeline on the work we do now,” Blix said, when asked about U.S. troop deployments. “I am oper ating on my own timeline.” Concerned by public opinion hos tile to a war, U.S. allies, including close Bush friend Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain, are counseling patience. Neither Blix nor the U.S. govern ment has made public a “smoking gun” showing Saddam is hiding banned weapons of mass destruc tion, which may be needed to galva nize world opinion. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi An nan added his voice Tuesday to those urging that more time be giv en to the weapons inspections. “I don’t think from where I stand we are at that stage yet,” Annan replied when asked whether there should be an invasion even if no illicit weapons are found. “I think the inspectors are just getting up to full speed.” U.S. officials, eager to keep their options open, insist publicly that there never was a timetable for war. Bush went out of his way Tuesday to dispute suggestions that the ad ministration’s determination toward Saddam is weakening. “I’m sick and tired of games and deception,” the president said. “I haven’t seen any evidence that he has disarmed. Time is running out on Saddam Hussein. He must disarm.” Rumsfeld signed two major de ployment orders over the weekend, to dispatch 62,000 more Marines, Army soldiers and Air Force person nel to the region. With those deployments, the number of American forces in the region is expected to grow to about 150,000 air, ground and naval forces in the next several weeks. An addi tional 100,000 are expected in the region by mid- to late February to be ready for a full-scale air and ground assault on Iraq. Those deployments create a mo mentum of their own. Some analysts suggest that Ameri can war planners must launch an at tack before the end of February in order to conclude operations before the scorching heat of the Persian Gulf summer begins. Summer in Kuwait and Iraq begins in late May and lasts through August. Tempera tures have been reported as high as 120 degrees. But senior U.S. military officers in Kuwait dismiss the idea that U.S. forces face an arbitrary deadline im posed by the weather. Many of the troops have already spent many months training for summertime temperatures. More than any other factor, public opinion here and abroad is compli cating Bush’s military calculations. A national Knight Ridder poll re leased Sunday found that only about a third of Americans support a war against Iraq without backing from the United Nations and U.S. allies. To gain that backing, Bush may need rock-solid proof that Saddam is lying when he says Iraq has no nu clear, chemical or biological weapons programs. So far, no such “smoking gun” has been made public and, on the surface at least, Iraq has cooperat ed with weapons inspectors. Leaders in Turkey, Britain and across the Middle East, while not necessarily opposed to ousting Sad dam, have citizens who are. In the United States, tens of thou sands of anti-war protesters from 40 states are due to converge on Wash ington this weekend. © 2003, Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services. Knight Ridder correspondents Jessica Guynn, Jonathan S. Landay, Joseph L. Galloway and Drew Brown contributed to this report. Prosecutor seeks death for sniper suspect Tony Pugh Knight Ridder Newspapers (KRT) FAIRFAX, Va. — Fingerprints on a high-powered Bushmaster rifle link 17 year-old sniper suspect John Lee Malvo to three fatal attacks and a fourth that left a man critically wounded, a Virginia prosecutor argued Tuesday. In addition, Malvo contacted po lice at least four times — twice in notes and twice in phone calls — asking for $10 million to end the string of attacks that rattled the na tion’s capital last fall, Virginia Com monwealth’s Attorney Robert Ho ran told the court. Horan wants Fairfax County Juve nile Court Chief Judge Charles Max field to declare that Malvo should be tried as an adult. If he’s convicted as an adult, Malvo could be put to death. Malvo and John Allen Muham mad, 42, are accused of shooting 18 people, killing 13 and wounding five in a nationwide spate of attacks, most of them on random victims do ing routine tasks like shopping or pumping gas. Ten killings and three woundings were in the Washington area, and the first trials are in the capital’s Virginia suburbs. In Fairfax, Malvo faces capital mur der charges in the Oct. 14 death of Linda Franklin, an FBI analyst who was gunned down outside a Home Depot store in suburban Falls Church, Va. Her husband, William Franklin, testified Tuesday that he and his wife were trying to put a long shelf into their 1991 Mercury Capri when he heard a loud noise and felt spray hit his face. “I turned and saw my wife laying on the ground,” Franklin said. She’d been hit on the left side of her fore head by a bullet that exited on the right side near her eye, a police wit ness testified. Malvo, wearing a green county jail jumpsuit, white sneakers and a white T-shirt, sat attentively with his attorneys. They asked Franklin and police witnesses whether Malvo had been seen at the crime scene. All answered no. Malvo could face two counts of capital murder in connection with the Oct. 14 shooting. One permits the death penalty when a person commits more than one murder in a three-year period. The other allows the death penalty under an anti-ter rorism statute. The hearing resumes on Wednesday. © 2003, Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services. Directors expand budgets for Erb Memorial Union The EMU Board of Directors grants budget increases to three groups and approves statements Roman Gokhman Campus/City Culture Reporter The EMU Board of Directors set 2003-04 budgets and approved philosophical statements Monday for three groups, including the board itself. The Child Care and Development Center, EMU Food Service and the EMU Board were all given larger budgets, mainly because of increas-. es in the minimum wage salaries of their student employees. CCDC saw its budget increase • Burton • Ride • Rossignol • Salomon YOUR SNOW BOARDING HEADQUARTERS wwW1bsr9ssnowbo3rdshop.com SwdroMsL Sicj. 13th l Lawrence • Eugene • 683-1300 from $843,811 to $924,927 for the next academic year with a motion that passed 9-0. The added funds also included money for the organization’s move to a new facility at East 17th Avenue and Moss Street. GGDG co-chairwoman Carla De Shaw, a University graduate student and mother of two, supported the increased budget. “When I take (my kids) to school, that gives me peace of mind,” De Shaw said. Other GGDG supporters said without the program they would not be able to attend the University. EMU board member Mark Watson questioned GGDG’s program in the Moshofsky Sports Center during home football games. The not-for-profit program is used primarily by fans who are not University students. The board and GGDG Coordina tor Dennis Reynolds agreed the pro gram eould be used to make a profit in the future so the child care cen ter would be more self-sufficient. GGDG’s philosophical statement was passed by a 7-0 vote. The board set the 2003-04 Food Service budget at 81,453,870 with a motion that passed 9-0. The previ ous academic year’s budget was not available. “It’s going to be really hard to make a profit,” Food Service Direc tor John Costello said. Board member Brenda Tincher said she was happy with the use of the phrase “self-sufficient” in Food Service’s philosophical statement, which was approved 7-0. Also, the Board approved the in crease of its own budget from $8,806 to $14,339 in 2003-04. Citing increases in work-study pay and the need for better organi zational retreats, the motion passed 9-0. The board’s philosophical goals and purpose statement were also approved 9-0. Finally, the board voted 7-2 to no tify all budget managers to appear Friday to discuss budgets. Contact the reporter atromangokhman@dailyemerald.com. One in five people in Lane County, don't have enough to eat. Helping them is easy. A $1 coupon will feed one person for one day. A $5 coupon will feed a family for one day. 48% of those served are children. UNIVERSITY of OREGON BOOKSTORE FOOD For Lane Gxinty 0 >* z £ o oo O & w W Ps; > O 5 P o 3 0) a o X § - .a a I co ■n ^ O c® 8.S x .c Sga W CM IS-C f* 0T 01 <J‘ 0s g>i Os US
