Bush praises sailors, Blair warns E.U. - U.S. says deployment schedule is on target

www.cnn.com Thursday, February 13, 2003 Posted: 8:51 PM EST (0151 GMT)

U.S. Navy Seabees train to build a bridge at Camp 93 Thursday in the northern Kuwait desert. The camp is named for Flight 93, which crashed during the terrorist hijackings of September 11, 2001.

PERSPECTIVE TIME.com's Scott MacLeod writes in an article called "Sacrifice for Saddam? Not This Time Around":

"While Arab public opinion is running strongly against a new American war on Iraq, there are few such tender embraces of Saddam these days. Protesters stress their support for Iraq's people but, conspicuously, not its leader. Al-Jazeera, the most widely watched Arab satellite TV channel, emphasizes criticism of American policy instead of flogging Saddam's line. What apologists there are for Saddam cast him as a victim rather than a hero. "Meanwhile, more Arabs are finding the courage to speak out against him. 'We want to end the terrible silence and break the false image that Arabs are all behind Saddam,' explains Lebanese democracy advocate Chibli Mallat. "The region is still bracing for a fresh wave of anti-Americanism should war come, especially given existing anger over U.S. support for Israel in its struggle with the Palestinians. However, it is a common view in Arab capitals that public resentments could be contained if the U.S. assault is surgical and swift. And if the U.S. does choose war, Washington's Arab allies -- despite a lot of preliminary balking -- are almost sure to offer support in one form or another."

CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports the U.S. military is learning the importance of stress management, family support and even the discussion of feelings in a war zone. (February 13)

ON THE AGENDA • Friday: Weapons inspection  chiefs Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei to report to U.N. Security Council. Iraq's National Assembly convenes "extraordinary session" in Baghdad.

(CNN) -- With events moving closer to a war with Iraq, here is a look at some of the latest developments around the world:

ROAD TO WAR?

• 'EXTRAORDINARY SESSION': Iraq's National Assembly will convene in "extraordinary session" Friday, shortly before U.N. weapons inspectors report to the Security Council, Iraqi officials said. The subject of the session, scheduled for 4 p.m. in Baghdad (8 a.m. EST), is not known. The National Assembly, as Iraq's parliament is known, usually votes on important issues, but its decision can be overruled by the ruling Revolutionary Command Council, led by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

• BLAIR'S DEMAND TO E.U. LEADERS: Britain's prime minister has demanded that European Union leaders not rule out military action against Iraq when they meet in an emergency summit on Monday. "While we all of course regard military action as a last resort, we must make clear that no member state rules it out if needed to uphold the authority of the (U.N.) Security Council," Tony Blair wrote other E.U. leaders ahead of Monday's meeting. Blair told the deeply split 15-nation bloc that time was running out for a peaceful solution, according to Reuters, which said it had obtained a copy of the letter. (Full story)

• PENTAGON'S DEPLOYMENT GOAL: The U.S. military has reached its goal of 150,000 troops within striking distance of Iraq by mid-February, the Pentagon said Thursday. Troops arriving late Wednesday and early Thursday brought the number to 156,000 under the U.S. Central Command, with another 16,000 on two carrier groups in the Mediterranean Sea under the U.S. European Command, according to the Pentagon. (Full story)

• NATO CANCELS MEETING: NATO canceled a meeting scheduled for Thursday to discuss the precarious split among its members concerning a U.S.-backed initiative to put defenses in place for Turkey in case of an attack by Iraq. France, Germany and Belgium have blocked the plan, saying such a move would damage peace initiatives. The United States and its allies will be able to send surveillance aircraft and missile defenses "in a way that would not require political approval" from the NATO alliance, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff said Thursday. "They think they may have that legal authority without going through the political process," Gen. Richard Myers told the Senate Armed Services Committee. (Full story)

WAR OF WORDS

• Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz said "Iraq no longer has the means to attack Israel," in an interview with the French television network TF1 broadcast Thursday (Full story)

• Speaking of outlaw nations in an address to sailors at the Mayport Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Florida, President Bush said: "These regimes could use such weapons for blackmail, terror, mass murder. They could also give or sell those weapons to terrorist allies who would use them without the least bit of hesitation. ... If force becomes necessary to secure our country and to keep the peace, America will act deliberately, America will act decisively, and America will act victoriously with the world's greatest military." (Full story)

• Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said Thursday that if Iraq begins providing full cooperation, "I think we still have a chance if we continue with our work, if Iraq provides full cooperation, we still should be able to avoid the war."

IMPACT

• U.S. stocks amassed further declines Thursday amid threats of terrorism against Americans and more talk of war, completely disregarding some slightly better-than-expected economic news. "There are so many clouds over the market. I don't see any short-term way out of this mess," said Jack Baker, head of equities at Putnam Lovell Securities. "Some people are calling for not only a test of the October lows, but for possibly falling below the October lows once we start shooting." (Full story)

• In anticipation of a possible war in Iraq, United Airlines told its employees Thursday that it is preparing for another travel industry downturn by reallocating some of its assets for military use and drawing up plans for more cutbacks. Among those plans: the nation's second-largest carrier has contracted out four 747's and one 777 to the Department of Defense. In the event of a war and a sharp drop in commercial travel, United is also prepared to cut capacity and costs, it said. American, Continental, Delta and US Airways are also making war plans.