Iraq's master move checkmates Bush

The Iraqi decision to accept the unconditional return of United Nations weapons inspectors after an absence of four years was unquestionably a masterful stroke.

It certainly should derail the U.S. administration's scheme to wage a war in the Middle East and distract international and American attention from other more serious issues that some expected to influence a crucial mid-term American election that could mar the Bush presidency.

President George W. Bush, regardless, should now feel rewarded that his yielding to mounting international and domestic pressure to seek UN approval for any undertaking, military or not, against Iraq's Saddam Hussein was the wiser course.

His hawks in the administration, primarily Vice President Dick Cheney, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, must now be reeling with anger. After all, the Iraqi leader has pulled the rug from under their feet.

On the other hand, Bush's forceful presentation at the UN won him deserved praise in many circles, at home and abroad, for emphasising the essentials in the unsettled conflict with Iraq, namely the flouting of UN resolutions - an issue that has been left surprisingly dormant for several years but not acquired centre stage.

Iraq had no choice in this matter but to succumb to the will of many members, especially Arab governments who urged the Baghdad regime to re-admit the UN inspectors. It will have to open its borders once again to international inspectors to save itself from the wrath of a superpower that seemed to have lost its original course, from a war on terrorism that has won international support after 9-11 to a spat with the Baghdad regime which is allegedly trying to acquire nuclear capability.

Baghdad must henceforth take into consideration the welfare of its hapless Iraqi people, who have suffered far too long and unnecessarily from a UN-imposed sanction regime. It must also remember that the Arab world's number one issue remains the conflict with Israel over usurped Arab lands and its subjugation of an impoverished and miserable populace engaged in an uneven struggle with this brutal foe, armed to the teeth, that no one seems willing to restrain, least of all the Bush administration.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who preceded Bush to the UN General Assembly forum last week, was obviously not swayed by the American arguments and listed the Arab-Israeli conflict as the number one threat that confronts the international community and not the unsubstantiated charge that Iraq is seeking nuclear weapons.

The Bush administration needs to re-adjust its focus and once again try to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli issue as it attempted in its opening salvo last June. Its war on international terrorism, which this week received a shot in the arm with the arrest of the alleged 20th hijacker in Pakistan, warrants additional investment, in funds and manpower, on the same level as undertaken in Bosnia before any tangible results can be achieved there. The showing there has been unimpressive.

When Bush spoke at the United Nations last week he lambasted the Iraqi regime for defying the resolutions of the world organisation for 10 years but he conveniently overlooked the fact that Israel has been more blatant.

It has been snubbing the international community for 35 years in refusing to implement UN Security Council resolutions that called for its withdrawal from the Arab lands it occupied in the 1967 war. And it has been able to escape any serious repercussions because of American protection.

For example, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, encouraged by his cheering team within the Bush administration, continues to ignore all the recent courageous attempts by the Palestinians to put their house in order.

His defiance is indicative in his refusal to stop his colonial expansion. Ten new settlements were detected last week by Israeli peace groups, and not one word of reprimand from the Bush administration.

This is an opportune time for the Bush administration to take stock of its faltering foreign policy. The Iraqi conundrum should not remain unresolved. Now that the inspectors will be allowed in, their target should be clear and straightforward and completed expeditiously.

Once this is done, the sanctions should be lifted and Iraq allowed to rejoin the international community. The future of the Iraqi leader is an issue best left for the Iraqi people and not anyone else.

Similarly, the Bush administration needs to follow through on its declared ideas for an Arab-Israeli settlement, including the holding of new elections and the establishment of a Palestinian state. More urgently, the Palestinian population needs immediate and substantial financial assistance to revive the bankrupt economy which has suffered from two years of stagnation, strife and occupation.

The commendable Iraqi decision to invite back the UN inspectors is a golden opportunity that should not be dismissed casually as some early U.S. reactions have. The sooner these grievances are tackled the earlier the breeding ground for terrorism is eliminated in the region and the safer we all will feel.