All of which leaves President Clinton between Iraq and a hard place. While Congress is baying for war, an increasing number of world powers Russia, France, China expressly oppose a military strike. The Security Council, too, is jittery about any statements that might heighten Mideast tension: witness their castigation of chief weapons inspector Richard Butler Thursday for telling the New York Times that Iraq had enough chemical weapons "to blow up Tel Aviv, or whatever." Alarmist statements, Butler was told, will not be tolerated by diplomats. Next question: What will they say to Boris Yeltsin?
Undiplomatic Solution
-
Share
-
Read Later
-
WASHINGTON: As the troops mass and the fleet grows in the Persian Gulf, it's decision time on Capitol Hill. And in contrast to the pained, balanced debate that preceded the Gulf War, lawmakers now are falling over themselves to make the loudest, most violent bomb-them-back-to-the-Stone Age call for an air attack on Iraq. "If anybody is talking about a pinprick operation," said Jesse Helms, "forget it." Even the sober Trent Lott fretted that "when the smoke clears he's still going to be there, maybe even stronger, and we'll have to do this again."