Iraq Accuses U.S. Of Double Standard

Iraq is accusing the U.S. of applying double standards in its approaches to Iraq and North Korea.

An editorial published in an Iraqi daily newspaper today criticizes Washington for threatening the country with war -- even though it claims Iraq is cooperating with U.N. demands to get rid of its weapons of mass destruction.

It points out that North Korea has left the world largely in the dark about its nuclear program by expelling U.N. inspectors this week.

In response, drawing differences between two international threats, President George W. Bush said Tuesday from his ranch in Texas that he is confident North Korea's nuclear buildup can be stopped diplomatically, but warned that Saddam Hussein "has not heard the message" and may be headed toward conflict with the United States.

He said Saddam's first attempt to comply with the latest United Nations arms resolution — a declaration of the status of his weapons program — "was disappointing." U.S. and U.N. officials have said the document had glaring omissions, and the Bush administration declared Saddam in "material breach" of his U.N. agreements, a step that could be used to justify military action.

"Thus far, it appears at first look that Saddam Hussein has not heard the message," Bush said.

Asked whether the cost of war with Iraq might be worth it, Bush said, "An attack from Saddam Hussein or a surrogate of Saddam Hussein would cripple our economy," he said: "Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is a threat to the security of the American people."

Bush bristled when the question was posed again: "This economy cannot stand to afford an attack, and I'm going to protect the American people."

Meanwhile, U.N. arms inspectors fanned out Tuesday to Iraqi sites suspected of involvement in the manufacture of mass destruction weapons as a Cabinet minister warned the United States of "the heaviest losses" if it attacks.

The inspectors visited eight sites, including an engineering company owned by the state Military Industry Corporation, a military chemical unit west of the capital Baghdad, an oil research center, an electronics factory that produces components such as transistors and a medical research center.

For the most part, U.N. weapons inspectors have been tight-lipped about what they have and haven't found in Iraq, but one inspector tells the Los Angeles Times they haven't found a thing so far. No smoking gun, he said, and not a trace of radiation or a single germ spore.

Quoting U.S. intelligence officials, however, the Washington Times said that Iraq was hiding two weapons scientists in Saddam Hussein's presidential palaces and that there were signs that chemical and biological weapons materials have recently been moved to underground storage facilities unknown to the inspectors.

The officials, according to the newspaper, said the scientists were being hidden apparently to prevent the inspectors from questioning them. The officials did not identify the scientists by name, but said that one was believed to be involved in Iraq's covert nuclear arms program and the second was a chemical and biological weapons specialist, the newspaper reported.

If Iraq can convince the inspectors that it has no such weapons or the capability to manufacture them, it could avoid a threatened U.S. military strike and eventually see the lifting of economic sanctions imposed following its invasion of neighboring Kuwait in 1990.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Tuesday that, under current conditions, he opposes a U.S. attack on Iraq, reports CBS News Correspondent Robert Berger.

Annan told Israel Radio Iraq is cooperating with U.N. weapons inspectors, so there is no justification for military action as of now.

Annan said Israel is not part of the current conflict, but during the Gulf War in 1991, that did not stop Saddam Hussein from firing 39 Scud missiles at the Jewish state.

"I hope that Iraq will not attack Israel," he said. "That big mistake was made last time around and I can understand why Israel would want to protect itself and will be preparing its population. But I see no justification for them to attack Israel."

Meanwhile, U.S. and British warplanes attacked air defense communications facilities and an air defense mobile radar in southern Iraq, the U.S. military said.

A statement from U.S. Central Command, the military command that oversees operations in Iraq, said the strikes occurred Monday in response to "Iraqi threats" against coalition aircraft monitoring the southern "no-fly zone" monitored by U.S. and British aircraft for the past decade.

In Baghdad, the Iraq daily quoted Trade Minister Mohammed Mehdi Saleh as saying Iraq was ready for war and that the country "will fight much harder than it did in the 1991, U.S.-led aggression if the United States launches an attack.

"When we fight in the streets, in cities and villages, food will be available and guns will be available," the minister said. "We will inflict the heaviest losses on them and they will be repelled from our country if they dare to attack us.