DESPERATE DESPOT By VINCENT MORRIS

November 11, 2002 -- WASHINGTON - Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein yesterday came up with a new maneuver he hopes will buy him time to squirm out of meeting U.N. deadlines for weapons inspections.

The increasingly desperate dictator - whose word is absolute law in Iraq - summoned his powerless parliament for an emergency review of the U.N. arms-inspection plan.

He did not say when the parliament would meet.

But his time runs out on Friday, when he must formally agree to let U.N. weapons inspectors in.

The United States laughed off his decision to convene parliament.

"It's ludicrous," said National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, speaking on ABC's "This Week."

"Saddam Hussein is an absolute dictator and tyrant, and the idea that somehow he expects the Iraqi parliament to debate this - they've never debated anything else.

"I'm surprised he's even bothering to go through this ploy."

The U.S.-drafted resolution, passed 15-0 by the U.N. Security Council on Friday, demands absolute cooperation from Iraq.

More powerful than earlier U.N. measures, the resolution gives inspectors unrestricted access to any site and permission to interview Iraqi scientists without official Iraqi presence - even if it means taking them out of the country.

While the resolution makes no specific reference to the use of force, President Bush has suggested that he's ready for a direct military confrontation with Iraq to drive Saddam from power.

Iraq, which in years past has accused the weapons inspectors of being spies, has said it will study the resolution, but has made no other promises.

Rice warned, "We do not need to waste the world's time with another game of cat and mouse."

Rice also said she's "very skeptical" that Saddam would meet all the terms of the resolution.

Meanwhile, foreign ministers and diplomats from several Arab nations meeting in Cairo predicted Saddam will agree to the inspections.

"I think we can expect a positive position by the Iraqis," Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher told The Washington Post.

The Arab leaders urged the United States not to attack Iraq, and approved a resolution asking for Arab participation in the upcoming weapons inspections.

They issued a resolution stating their "absolute rejection" of war against Iraq, which they argued would pose a threat to all Arab states.

-- Anonymous, November 11, 2002

Answers

the more he does, the guiltier he looks.

course we know he is guilty already.

-- Anonymous, November 11, 2002