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| Iraqis Warn: U.S. Military Must Leave Or Face War |
| April 18, 2003 |
| BAGHDAD - In a move that had U.S. officials scratching their heads, Iraqi leaders urged President Bush to end military occupation or face the prospect of war. Iraqi citizens paraded through the streets of Baghdad Thursday, burning American flags in protest of U.S. troop presence. Just a week before, the crowds paraded through the same streets reviling the former Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein. "Maybe they don't quite understand what's going on," Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said. "We just ended a war a few days ago. We're we not clear?" The Bush Administration sent war planners and analysts "back to the drawing board" for new invasion strategies. Two senior officials were reported to resign over the task. "There doesn't seem to be much more we can really do," Bush admitted. "I mean, we can bomb them again, but without a Republican Guard to target, our options are very limited." Secretary of State Colin Powell advocated a strategy of diplomacy, and has requested time in front of the United Nations. A resolution may prove difficult to pass, since three members of the U.N. Security Council are vowing to "veto anything American in nature," according to Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Rumors among U.N. ambassadors point to France as spearheading the anti-American sentiment, as they have urged Bush to change "Freedom Fries" back to "French Fries." French President Jacques Chirac spoke to Bush on Tuesday, warning him to end occupation "or else." |
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| BUSH AND RUMSFELD PUZZLED BY ULTIMATUM |