War in Iraq was very close on Wednesday after President Saddam Hussein dismissed U.S. demands that he flee his country to avert war.
"Saddam Hussein, if he doesn't leave the country, will be making his final mistake," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer told reporters.
President Bush has given Saddam until 4:15 a.m. Iraqi time on Thursday (0115GMT) to go into exile with his sons, an ultimatum that Iraq quickly rejected. The White House, however, has refused to rule out an attack on Iraq before Bush's ultimatum to Saddam runs out.
Bush and his chief ally, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, have amassed 280,000 troops in the region to overthrow Saddam's government. One of the first major American objectives in the event of war against Iraq will be to occupy its largest southern city, Basra, and secure its port facilities and nearby oil fields, media reports indicated.
Both Bush and Blair face widespread opposition to war at home, and the British prime minister had to face down the biggest party revolt in living memory on Tuesday to win parliamentary backing for the invasion.
The United States said about 45 countries -- privately or publicly -- supported its intention to oust Saddam by force. The only allies known to be contributing offensive military forces are Britain and Australia.
At the 11th hour Turkey said it had agreed with the United States to present a motion to parliament on Wednesday allowing for the overflight of U.S. troops and military aircraft to Iraq via its airspace and bases.
Ankara has also agreed with Washington that Turkish troops will be allowed into northern Iraq during any U.S. invasion to set up a buffer zone against an exodus of Iraqi refugees to Turkey, government spokesman Cemil Cicek said.
The announcement appeared to mark the end of urgent U.S. efforts to deploy its troops in Turkey for a northern front against Iraq via Turkey's southern border.
The foreign ministers of France, Russia and Germany headed to New York for a U.N. session on Wednesday at which chief arms inspector Hans Blix will spell out what Iraq must do to prove it has disarmed.
The foreign ministers are expected to use the meeting, going ahead despite the withdrawal of arms inspectors from Iraq, as a forum to denounce the planned U.S. invasion. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
