War plans envision quick strikes

WASHINGTON -- President Bush has settled on a war plan for Iraq that would begin with an air campaign shorter than the one for the Persian Gulf War, the New York Times reports. It would feature swift ground actions to seize footholds in the country and strikes to cut off the leadership in Baghdad.

The plan, approved in recent weeks by Bush well before the U.N. Security Council's unanimous vote on Friday to disarm Iraq, calls for massing 200,000 to 250,000 troops for attack by air, land and sea. The offensive would probably begin with a "rolling start" of substantially fewer forces, according to the New York Times' report, which cited Pentagon and military officials.

Bush said Friday that he prefers a peaceful approach to disarming Iraq but if that proves futile the military is prepared to "move swiftly with force" to ensure the regime of Saddam Hussein is stripped of its weapons of mass destruction and its ability to produce more in the future.

The plan calls for the quick capture of land within Iraq, which would be used as bases to funnel U.S. forces deeper into the country. That approach is intended to relieve some of the diplomatic pressure created by massing troops and initiating attacks from neighboring countries, including Saudi Arabia.

Under the plan, U.S. and coalition forces could operate out of such forward bases in northern, western and southern Iraq, building on lessons learned in Afghanistan, where the military seized a similar outpost south of Kandahar.

White House and State Department officials are discussing a seamless transition from attack to a military occupation of parts of the country, the newspaper reported. It would include efforts to deliver food to Iraqis and to engage them quickly in planning for economic development and eventual democracy in areas that Hussein has terrorized.

Meanwhile, Iraqi scientists and local military officials would be encouraged to reveal the location of hidden stores of weapons of mass destruction.

Arab foreign ministers expect Iraq's acceptance

CAIRO, Egypt -- Egypt's foreign minister said Saturday that he expected Iraq to accept the U.N. resolution to disarm but that Baghdad had not yet made a formal decision.

"I think we can expect a positive position by the Iraqis," Ahmed Maher told reporters after Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri explained Iraq's position to the foreign ministers of the 22-member Arab League.

"We heard the Iraqi point of view and the history of relations with the United Nations and the inspectors and their readiness to cooperate . . . already expressed in September, but they haven't yet taken the formal decision on their attitude toward the resolution," Maher said.

Nabil Shaath, the Palestinian representative at the meeting, said Iraq had in effect accepted the resolution, but Arab foreign ministers still wanted assurances that the Security Council blueprint did not contain an automatic trigger allowing the United States to wage war on Iraq.

However, Sabri later told reporters "no decision has been taken" on the resolution that demands Iraq eliminate its weapons of mass destruction or face "serious consequences."

The first word of the Iraqi position came when Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal left the meeting shortly before midnight Saturday, saying, "I think everyone welcomed transferring the issue to the Security Council, and they welcomed Iraq's approval of this decision with the confirmation that Syria received that there would be no automatic military action."

Thousands march in Italy in protest of possible war

FLORENCE, Italy -- Hundreds of thousands of people marched through Florence Saturday in a protest against globalization and U.S. policy in Iraq.

Police in Florence said about 450,000 people took part in the demonstration, the highlight of an antiglobalization gathering that started Wednesday and ends today. The figure was more than twice the number expected.

Organizer Vittorio Agnoletto estimated the crowd at 800,000 to 1-million.

Iran will accept Iraqi refugees, but not in cities

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran will accept refugees from Iraq if they are in danger, but they will not be allowed to settle in cities, the Iranian Interior Ministry said Saturday.

In a separate comment, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said his government hopes Iraq will "fully cooperate" with U.N. arms inspectors and implement the resolution in order to avert a U.S. strike on the country.

On the prospect of Iraqis fleeing to Iran in the event of an attack, the official Islamic Republic News Agency quoted Interior Ministry official Ahmad Hosseini as saying the government was prepared to admit them.

Previously Iran had said Iraqi refugees would be confined to camps along the Iran-Iraq border and would not be allowed to enter Iran.

"We will allow Iraqi nationals to cross into Iran if their lives are in jeopardy, but they will not be allowed to enter Iranian cities," Hosseini said Saturday.

Russian minister says resolution averts war

MOSCOW -- Russia's foreign minister praised the U.N. resolution on disarming Iraq, saying Saturday that it averted the threat of war and paved the way for lifting sanctions.

"This resolution averts the real threat of war and opens the way for further work in searching for a political-diplomatic resolution around Iraq," Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said, according to the Interfax news agency.

France, Russia and China opposed the inclusion of so-called "hidden triggers" that would automatically sanction the use of force if Iraq does not comply. After the resolution was passed, the three countries issued a joint interpretation that said the resolution excludes automatic use of force.

"Formulas unacceptable to Russia have been removed from the resolution," Ivanov was quoted as saying. "It does not contain the automatic sanctioning of the use of force."

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