Bush Sees Saddam As 'Big Threat,' May Use Force
By Patricia Wilson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - On the 10th anniversary of the Gulf War, President-elect
George W. Bush declared Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein ``a big threat'' and said on Thursday
he must be contained -- by military force if necessary.

In a 45-minute interview with Reuters two days before his inauguration as the 43rd president
of the United States, Bush also called Saddam ``a wild card'' who could destabilize the
world's oil supplies.

Asked if he would use military force against the Iraqi leader, Bush replied: ``If he crosses the
line, the answer's yes. If we catch him developing weapons of mass destruction, the answer's
yes.''

Bush declined to blame U.S. allies in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries,
including Kuwait from where a U.S. led international force drove Iraqi troops in 1991, for
OPEC's cut in production on Wednesday.

``I think it's too complicated to blame our friends,'' Bush said. ``For example, one of the real
wild cards in the world today is Saddam Hussein. He controls a lot of the output of oil and
he is certainly not our friend.''

``To the extent that prices are unstable, there are some who can affect the price who aren't
friends of ours,'' he added.

Bush, the son of former president George Bush who stitched together the international
coalition that defeated Saddam, said he would reassess the effectiveness of current U.N.
sanctions against Iraq ``with the intention of rallying support among our friends and allies''
that would keep the Iraqi leader ``in check.''

With retired Gen. Colin Powell as his Secretary of State-designate and Dick Cheney as his
vice president, Bush has two of the architects of the Gulf War in his own administration.

His father, Powell and Cheney were widely criticized for calling an end to the ground war in
February 1991 and leaving Saddam in power.

Post-war sanctions on Baghdad have began to crumble in the face of mounting opposition
from European allies and others and a regimen of weapons inspections has been abandoned.

``I do think he is a big threat,'' Bush said. ``I do think he is a big threat to our friends in the
Persian Gulf and he's a threat toIsrael.''

``Yes, we must continue to contain Saddam Hussein and we must watch his money and we
must make sure he doesn't develop weapons of mass destruction,'' Bush added.

In a speech marking the 10th anniversary of the Gulf War Wednesday Saddam, looking
robust and healthy despite rumors that he was ill, said that Iraq would emerge victorious in
its struggle against the United States.
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The Kurdistan Observer
www.kurdistanobserver.com