Wolfowitz: Iraq war was about oil
George Wright
Wednesday June 4, 2003 The Guardian
Oil was the main reason for military action against Iraq, a leading
White House hawk has claimed, confirming the worst fears of those
opposed to the US-led war.
The US deputy defence secretary, Paul Wolfowitz - who has already
undermined Tony Blair's position over weapons of mass destruction (WMD)
by describing them as a "bureaucratic" excuse for war - has now gone
further by claiming the real motive was that Iraq is "swimming" in oil.
The latest comments were made by Mr Wolfowitz in an address to delegates
at an Asian security summit in Singapore at the weekend, and reported
today by German newspapers Der Tagesspiegel and Die Welt.
Asked why a nuclear power such as North Korea was being treated
differently from Iraq, where hardly any weapons of mass destruction had
been found, the deputy defence minister said: "Let's look at it simply.
The most important difference between North Korea and Iraq is that
economically, we just had no choice in Iraq. The country swims on a sea
of oil."
Mr Wolfowitz went on to tell journalists at the conference that the US
was set on a path of negotiation to help defuse tensions between North
Korea and its neighbours - in contrast to the more belligerent attitude
the Bush administration displayed in its dealings with Iraq.
His latest comments follow his widely reported statement from an
interview in Vanity Fair last month, in which he said that "for reasons
that have a lot to do with the US government bureaucracy, we settled on
the one issue that everyone could agree on: weapons of mass
destruction."
Prior to that, his boss, defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld, had already
undermined the British government's position by saying Saddam Hussein
may have destroyed his banned weapons before the war.
Mr Wolfowitz's frank assessment of the importance of oil could not come
at a worse time for the US and UK governments, which are both facing
fierce criticism at home and abroad over allegations that they
exaggerated the threat posed by Saddam Hussein in order to justify the
war.
Amid growing calls from all parties for a public inquiry, the foreign
affairs select committee announced last night it would investigate
claims that the UK government misled the country over its evidence of
Iraq's WMD.
The move is a major setback for Tony Blair, who had hoped to contain any
inquiry within the intelligence and security committee, which meets in
secret and reports to the prime minister.
In the US, the failure to find solid proof of chemical, biological and
nuclear arms in Iraq has raised similar concerns over Mr Bush's
justification for the war and prompted calls for congressional
investigations.
Mr Wolfowitz is viewed as one of the most hawkish members of the Bush
administration. The 57-year old expert in international relations was a
strong advocate of military action against Afghanistan and Iraq.
Following the September 11 terror attacks on the World Trade Centre and
Pentagon, Mr Wolfowitz pledged that the US would pursue terrorists and
"end" states' harbouring or sponsoring of militants.
Prior to his appointment to the Bush cabinet in February 2001, Mr
Wolfowitz was dean and professor of international relations at the Paul
Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), of the Johns
Hopkins University.
* Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2003
George Wright
Wednesday June 4, 2003 The Guardian
Oil was the main reason for military action against Iraq, a leading
White House hawk has claimed, confirming the worst fears of those
opposed to the US-led war.
The US deputy defence secretary, Paul Wolfowitz - who has already
undermined Tony Blair's position over weapons of mass destruction (WMD)
by describing them as a "bureaucratic" excuse for war - has now gone
further by claiming the real motive was that Iraq is "swimming" in oil.
The latest comments were made by Mr Wolfowitz in an address to delegates
at an Asian security summit in Singapore at the weekend, and reported
today by German newspapers Der Tagesspiegel and Die Welt.
Asked why a nuclear power such as North Korea was being treated
differently from Iraq, where hardly any weapons of mass destruction had
been found, the deputy defence minister said: "Let's look at it simply.
The most important difference between North Korea and Iraq is that
economically, we just had no choice in Iraq. The country swims on a sea
of oil."
Mr Wolfowitz went on to tell journalists at the conference that the US
was set on a path of negotiation to help defuse tensions between North
Korea and its neighbours - in contrast to the more belligerent attitude
the Bush administration displayed in its dealings with Iraq.
His latest comments follow his widely reported statement from an
interview in Vanity Fair last month, in which he said that "for reasons
that have a lot to do with the US government bureaucracy, we settled on
the one issue that everyone could agree on: weapons of mass
destruction."
Prior to that, his boss, defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld, had already
undermined the British government's position by saying Saddam Hussein
may have destroyed his banned weapons before the war.
Mr Wolfowitz's frank assessment of the importance of oil could not come
at a worse time for the US and UK governments, which are both facing
fierce criticism at home and abroad over allegations that they
exaggerated the threat posed by Saddam Hussein in order to justify the
war.
Amid growing calls from all parties for a public inquiry, the foreign
affairs select committee announced last night it would investigate
claims that the UK government misled the country over its evidence of
Iraq's WMD.
The move is a major setback for Tony Blair, who had hoped to contain any
inquiry within the intelligence and security committee, which meets in
secret and reports to the prime minister.
In the US, the failure to find solid proof of chemical, biological and
nuclear arms in Iraq has raised similar concerns over Mr Bush's
justification for the war and prompted calls for congressional
investigations.
Mr Wolfowitz is viewed as one of the most hawkish members of the Bush
administration. The 57-year old expert in international relations was a
strong advocate of military action against Afghanistan and Iraq.
Following the September 11 terror attacks on the World Trade Centre and
Pentagon, Mr Wolfowitz pledged that the US would pursue terrorists and
"end" states' harbouring or sponsoring of militants.
Prior to his appointment to the Bush cabinet in February 2001, Mr
Wolfowitz was dean and professor of international relations at the Paul
Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), of the Johns
Hopkins University.
* Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2003