Allies not encouraging in Iraq debate

WASHINGTON -- Allies who strongly support the war on terror are squirming as the Bush administration debates whether Iraq should be the next target. Russia, the Europeans and Arabs -- even NATO -- have made clear they won't necessarily back military attacks on Iraq.

America must identify "real dangers rather than imaginary," Russia's prime minister said Monday after meeting with President Bush, and Germany's deputy foreign minister, noting "the United States has old scores to settle with Iraq," warned, "This terror argument can't be used to legitimize old enmities."

U.S. officials have, in turn, made clear they would be willing to act alone. Iraq, one of three nations along with Iran and North Korea that Bush termed "an axis of evil," poses such a dangerous threat that pre-emptive action might be needed, they say.

At the same time, a senior Pentagon official known for his strong advocacy of attacking Iraq made clear to European allies that Bush hasn't decided what to do.

The president spoke as he did "to begin the kind of debate" that allies have raised, said Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz.

Fire in no-fly zone

"What the president did was to identify a problem," Wolfowitz said. He added: "We are a long way from decisions about what to do."

Bush's strong words essentially sent a message to Russia and Europe: "Join us now in ratcheting up the pressure on these regimes, or watch later as we act unilaterally," said Antony Blinken, a specialist on U.S.-European relations.

For the first time since the Sept. 11 attacks, U.S. and British planes patrolling the no-fly zone over northern Iraq bombed Iraqi air defense systems on Monday in response to anti-aircraft fire. Allied planes over northern Iraq have repeatedly been fired on since Sept. 11 but had not responded with bombing until now.

Iraq has barred U.N. weapons inspectors for more than three years and is believed to be trying to rebuild its banned weapons programs. Iraq's vice president reasserted, in a Russian newspaper Monday, that Iraq had nothing to do with the terrorist attacks on America.