Those aiding US will be at war: Iraqi Ambassador

[Pete]

February 6— Baghdad’s Ambassador to Ankara has warned that his country would declare war on any state that assisted the US in military operations against Iraq.

Ambassador Talip Abid Salih, speaking at a press conference on Thursday, February 6, called on all countries to respect territorial integrity of Iraq and Baghdad’s rights to control its own domestic issues.

“If any bases were opened to the Americans, or support given to American soldiers, to us this would mean you joined the war,” he said.

However, the Iraqi Ambassador refused to say directly whether this policy would make Turkey a target for attack and said they would not use the terminology of threats but of advises.

http://www.ntvmsnbc.com/news/200807.asp

[Friz]

Seems a good way to build up a good stockpile of enemies.

[fig]

naaa, a good excuse to lob missiles in every direction.

[birdbath]

what 'bout us? does this mean that saddam will be declaring a fatwa on bertie? (here's hoping...)

[Friz]

Originally posted by Pete
“If any bases were opened to the Americans, or support given to American soldiers, to us this would mean you joined the war,” he said.

Well now, there's food for thought.....

[Friz]

I wonder how Bertie will take the news that despite his prostituting his country to all and sundry, he still managed to get on someones bad side?

[Amergin]

I think it would be safe to say that there are protests like the one about the use of Shannon happening in other countries about their own support of the US. The Iraqi authorities are surely aware of the protests and, by making a statement like this, they are justifying the fears behind the protests. This could lead to an increase in support for the protests which is something that the Iraqi authorities would welcome.

[CEO]

Why, Friz? It's totally obvious. The undemocratic actions of our own government have gotten us firmly stuck between Iraq and a hard place (what a great phrase). I for one am very scared. These are not rational people we're dealing with (and there I'm referring to the US administration as well as the Iraqis) and listening to what each side has to say worries me more than I can express.

[Pete]

Some important points:

- The Turkish parliament voted yesterday to allow some of their bases and ports to be upgraded.

- NATO will probably support Turkey in case of any war. Patriot Missiles being the most important support needed.

- The US will probably pay up the money that Turkey sets to lose if a conflict breaks out.

[tallman]

i dont think saddam is going to be too concerned about little old ireland when he's got trigger happy goerge w bush to worry about.

he could worry about bertie who's best creation this year was the "stiffy by the liffey" or he could worry about the guy who's hasthe firepower to demolish iraq to rubble

tough choice

[Pete]

Originally posted by CEO
I for one am very scared.

I am mainly worried about 3 things:

Will the conflict effect the Turkish economy in a way that I will be unable to maintain my current position or provide for my family.

Some nutcase deciding to lob a SCUD missile into Turkey

Another conflict starting between Turkey and the Kurds, resulting in terrorism acts within in Turkey.

[jco]

It'd be an interesting way to show off your power by taking out an entire country beside britain with one missile though wouldn't it...

[Tipsy Mac]

Hopefully this news article gets some airing here, it will be nice to see general public panic and Ahern crawling back into his shell. Lets here it for our own lads..... ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, IRISH MARINE CORE.

[tallman]

Originally posted by jco
It'd be an interesting way to show off your power by taking out an entire country beside britain with one missile though wouldn't it...


first:if he even tried to launch a missile that distance the british wold think its going for them and destroy it for us.

second he has to much to worry about in his own sea beside his own country that if ireland comes anywhere near the top of his list he really hasn't a hope of beating the allieds

[Sparks]

So we become a target thanks to decisions taken without our knowlege or consent. Wonderful.

[Pete]

jco, even if Iraq had the capabilities to send a missile towards Britain or Ireland, it would be shot down by one of the NATO members before it got anywhere.

If they wanted to cause maximum damage, they'd go for the airbase where stealth bombers are going to be based at.

[Friz]

Originally posted by Pete
they'd go for the airbase where stealth bombers are going to be based at.

Ah but could they see them? What with them being stealthy and all.....

[Pete]

They're only stealthy when they're in the air.

[Don Speekingleesh]

And you can still see them if you look hard enough. Not very stealthy.

[Sparks]

Umm, pete - do you know something we don't? Last time I checked, any missile that could hit near here from over there would be a ballistic missile and there aren't any weapons systems that I know about that can shoot them down.

And besides, it's far more likely that if Saddam wanted to attack every country that supported US forces, that he'd arrange for someone to post a few hundred letters containing anthrax or some similar biological toxin to random people in that country. Cheap way to do it - and of course, for the more demented fundamentalist, there's always the standard techniques of bombing cars and so on in those states.
And since it's so cheap to attack like this, and so hard to defend against these attacks, it becomes a legitimate concern even for us...

[Pete]

Originally posted by Sparks
Umm, pete - do you know something we don't? Last time I checked, any missile that could hit near here from over there would be a ballistic missile and there aren't any weapons systems that I know about that can shoot them down.


I probably wasn't clear in what I tried to say. I was talking about NATO countries placing Patriot missiles in Turkey. These can shoot down missiles before they reach the ballistic stage. Afaik (just covering myself there)

[Sparks]

Pete,
Nope, they can't. The Patriot would have to be sitting on top of the ballistic missile silo to do that, and even then the patriot would be playing catch-up to the target missile. Patriots were originally an anti-air missile and thanks to that design they can only intercept missiles in their terminal phase of flight. And even then, you tend to get hit by chunks of missile instead of a whole missile - which isn't always less lethal!
(and that's only when they hit the target - which happened a lot less than people thought they would, and less than was reported at the time as well)

[Mad Puppy]

Nah, Patriots work by hitting incoming missiles, after they've gone ballistic and are in the final stage. They get more accurate the closer they get to the warhead. Need to be in the launch area to hit a missile before it goes ballistic.

[Mad Puppy]

Heh. Spot the geeks

[X]

Originally posted by Pete
jco, even if Iraq had the capabilities to send a missile towards Britain or Ireland, it would be shot down by one of the NATO members before it got anywhere.


And if it didn't, we all have our iodine pills, so we're sorted.

[birdbath]

Originally posted by BatmanDar


And if it didn't, we all have our iodine pills, so we're sorted.

LOL!

[JHetfield]

We shouldnt be surprised with these remarks from the Iraqi's. True to form really.

The major concern Ireland should have is what is going happen when in 40 or 50 years the worlds oils reserves run out. What will the US go after next. I tell you what. Our turf!
Scary eh!

CEO is that one of your own?

[Sparks]

MadPuppy,
Naw, just that the underlying maths they use for tracking targets for the Patriot system is the same as used in Robotics for generating maps... oh crap, I'm making your case, aren't I? :D

[X]

Originally posted by Mad Puppy
Nah, Patriots work by hitting incoming missiles, after they've gone ballistic and are in the final stage. They get more accurate the closer they get to the warhead. Need to be in the launch area to hit a missile before it goes ballistic.

I can see it now, Bertie will read this, and work frantically to come up with a contingency plan. Next week, flares will be posted to every home in Ireland.

[Mad Puppy]

Nah, he'll stick to Irelands long-established defence policy: Pretend there is no problem until it's far too late to do anything about it, then feverishly try to buy second-rate armaments from countries just when they've decided not to sell us anything, followed by finally throwing ourselves on the mercy of one side in the conflict and asking them to secretly protect us in return for our incredible cuteness.

[Greenblade]

Scary....
and the worst thing is , if he does decide to attack us, it'll be Shannon/Limerick that'll be taken out......hmmmmmm.......

[X]

Originally posted by Greenblade
Scary....
and the worst thing is , if he does decide to attack us, it'll be Shannon/Limerick that'll be taken out......hmmmmmm.......

Is that neccessarily a bad thing? ;)

[Greenblade]

no, but we will have the Keane and Ryan clans to defend us and take on the evil tyrant

[prentice]

The limericks are busy trying to save saddam the trouble

[Greenblade]

maybe we could arrange it that he (Saddam) just takes out limerick (leaving UL behind) and we just start all over again with that part of the country.....any objections, anyone? anyone?.......not a voice, grand so, its settled.....batmandar, get on the batphone to bagdad

(ok, enough hungover ramblings, i'm off to lunch)............and before anyone accuses me of being from Dublin, yes, yes I am.

[Mac]

Iraq and a hard place!

TOO good, LOL!

Frankly, I don't think Iraq has much capability left, we've been starving and depriving them for years.

[CEO]

Originally posted by JHetfield
CEO is that one of your own?

Is what one of my own?

[Sparks]

Well it's exceptionally doubtful that they have ballistic missiles Mac, but a tub of anthrax, a few hundred envelopes and a lot of stamps all in the hands of someone in another country and then everyone gets to play "cough your lungs up in a bloody red mass of sputum".

The problem with starving and depriving people for years is that it creates a lot of hostility - note how palestine, with it's incredible economy (by this time next year they hope to be able to afford a big mac for every family), can hit weapons-mad, defence-mad, shoot-at-anything-that-moves, train-your-kids-from-the-age-of-16-to-be-commandos Israel again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and.....

Basicly, if he decides to do it, we're the easiest target going. And since we're incredibly cute and cuddly, we're a good target because if you hit us hard, you shock lots of people.

[johnny_coffee]

Even if they didnt bomb us
how hard to you REALLY think it would be to get the us embassy in the park...
I used to go on the hop in there
so I know (bar a few lads on quad bikes)
there is fuck all security there....
a nice symbolic blow dontcha think??

[4ofUs]

;) have you guys been eating too many baguettes again?

[colinsky]

Why are we afraid of Saddam waging war against Ireland? After all, he doesn't have any weapons!

[X]

Neither do we, so it'll be a fair fight

[CEO]

I don't know what you're afraid of colinsky, but I'm afraid of this standoff and what looks like inevitable war in the middle east culminating in ongoing terrorist warfare on the west.

[Sparks]

colinsky,
Yes.... right....

The UN hasn't found any chemical/biological/radiological weapons. That doesn't mean he doesn't have explosives, fanatics or money - the three ingredients in todays modern weapons of choice for disadvantaged nations...

[JHetfield]

CEO 'Iraq and a hard' is it a CEOism? Did u think of it?

Sparks a hint of sarcasm in the air ;) Dont rise my good man.

[Sparks]

JHetfield,
Doh :D

[mags]

Originally posted by CEO
I don't know what you're afraid of colinsky, but I'm afraid of this standoff and what looks like inevitable war in the middle east culminating in ongoing terrorist warfare on the west.
same here. I'm quite sure there will be a war, it'll be over quickly, but much unrest will follow, many battles, and worldwide terrorism.

I'm not frightened, there's fuck-all I can do about it, but I am so, so angry. As someone wrote earlier, we are drawn into this without any say. Canada finally announced it will back the US if there is evidence of Iraq breaking the post Gulf War agreement, even if the UN doesn't sanction a war.

Even if Canada doesn't send it's feeble support, we will feel the effects not only where we live, but because this war is childhood's end for us and most westerners.

[murph2]

Originally posted by mags

I'm not frightened, there's fuck-all I can do about it, but I am so, so angry. As someone wrote earlier, we are drawn into this without any say. Canada finally announced it will back the US if there is evidence of Iraq breaking the post Gulf War agreement, even if the UN doesn't sanction a war.
There's always say. Ireland could start meeting with Iraq send troops down there to fight for Iraq.

[Sparks]

Or, gee, I don't know, we could publicly support the UN instead of the US? Or even more unlikely, we could have a vote on the issue - UN, US, Iraq, or Stay The Heck Out Of It?

[CEO]

JH, no, wish it was, but that's an oldie. At the UN, countries are listed alphabetically in English, so Ireland has Iraq on one side and Israel on the other. Some wag in Foreign Affairs said he was "between Iraq and a hard place".