barrykind
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Kamal Ahmed, Jason Burke and Nick Pelham in Amman
Sunday July 14, 2002
The Observer
Tony Blair is preparing for a 'lightning visit' to meet President Bush at a specially - convened war summit, as America continues to press for a military invasion of Iraq.
In a move that will heighten speculation that the US is in the final stages of planning an assault against Saddam Hussein, a date in the autumn for the summit at Camp David has been put for ward. 'I am sure if things change, one of the people that the President will want to talk to is the Prime Minister,' one Whitehall official said.
'We don't want people going around saying two and two equals five about any possible action against Iraq, but we are well aware that things can change rapidly.'
For the first time, senior Downing Street officials did not deny that the Government has seen American plans for an invasion force. 'We talk to them all the time,' one said.
In addition, new figures from the Ministry of Defence have revealed that the RAF has increased the number of low-flying missions of fighter aircraft across Britain, which has added to speculation that an invasion is planned for the next six months.
Although the MoD denied that the first increase in low-flying missions since 1995 had anything to do with preparations for an invasion of Iraq, several officials in Government admitted that 'operational moves' had increased because of the possibility of future action.
'We are still a long way from any attack, but all training is ultimately for testing in real situations,' one MoD figure said. 'We are all aware that Iraq is on the agenda.'
Over the past year the number of low-flying missions has increased by nearly 9 per cent. The number of fixed-wing fighter exercises increased to 28,600 hours from 25,200 hours.
The number of helicopter exercises increased from 16,900 hours to 17,200 hours.
This increased military activity has strengthened the belief in military circles that Britain is on the brink of backing a Bush-led attack on Iraq. Blair's support is central to Bush's plan, which would be badly damaged if Britain decided to withhold its backing.
There was no sign this weekend that tensions were easing. Officials in Washington announced that Paul Wolfowitz, the hawkish number two at the Pentagon, will travel to Turkey with senior military officers for talks about Iraq and the surrounding region.
In Baghdad, Saddam's eldest son, Uday, warned Iran against taking advantage of any US military assault on Baghdad to launch its own attack.
The attendance of the Jordanian Prince Hassan at an Iraqi opposition conference in London on Friday threatens to rupture Iraqi relations with Jordan, Iraqi officials have said.
'This interference in internal Iraqi affairs is unacceptable,' Sabah Yasin, the Iraqi ambassador to Jordan, told The Observer. 'Jordan should be helping to preserve the sovereignty of Iraq, not be a source to threaten it.'
Yasin said Hassan's presence came as a shock, after days of Jordanian government statements rebutting last week's story in The Observer that Jordan was co-operating with the US in preparations for an attack on Iraq.
'It was completely unexpected,' Yasin said. 'We put our trust in what the Jordanian government was saying.'
Baghdad also tried to bolster its position by appealing to Saudi Arabia for support. The Iraqi state newspaper Babel warned that a US attack on Iraq would lead to the slicing of Saudi Arabia into three states, the return of currently independent Bahrain to Iranian rule and the conversion of Jordan into a Palestinian state.
The paper, which is published by Uday, vowed to resist a new colonial carve-up of the Middle East. 'A single telephone call, a simple sign to Baghdad, and [the Saudis] will see Iraq launch all its forces to support the kingdom against those seeking to break it up,' it said.
Many Gulf states fear that a war in Iraq would destabilise the entire region. To reduce the risk of plunging the Middle East into chaos, Pentagon planners are believed to favour a campaign based on swift 'surgical strikes' by special forces and precision missiles aimed at incapacitating Saddam.
The planners have decided they will have 48 hours to find and kill or capture Saddam before he tries to deploy any nuclear, biological or major conventional weapons he may have.
Most analysts believe the most likely time for an attack is next January or February.
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John 3:3;Mark 8:34-38;James 1:27
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