The Bush administration decided back in the middle of December that a US-led war on Iraq was inevitable, even as it publicly held out hope for a diplomatic solution, according to a newspaper report.
In its Tuesday edition, the Financial Times, in the first part of an investigation, said the "internal moment" to go to war came within days of Iraq's 12,000-page declaration to the United Nations on December 8 on weapons of mass destruction.
"There was a feeling that the White House was being mocked," an individual who worked closely with the National Security Council was quoted as telling the paper.
"A tinpot dictator (Saddam Hussein) was mocking the (US) president. It provoked a sense of anger inside the White House," the individual was quoted as saying. "After that point, there was no prospect of a diplomatic solution." (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
