Saying he ”expects others to bear their fair share of the costs,”
President Bush approved a plan Thursday to solicit billions of dollars in aid from other nations to pay for the blockade against Iraq and to help those countries suffering most because of higher oil prices.
The president said he will dispatch Secretary of State James A. Baker III and Treasury Secretary Nicholas Brady to Europe, Asia and the Persian Gulf to coordinate the economic and military aid needed to confront Iraq.
In a White House news conference, Bush said he is still not optimistic about finding a diplomatic solution to the gulf crisis despite efforts by United Nations Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar to negotiate with Iraqi Foreign Minister Tareq Aziz in Amman, Jordan.
But Bush said he is prepared to go ”as long as it takes” to get Iraqi troops to withdraw from Kuwait.
Eager to bolster the already widespread support for his actions domestically and abroad, the president said the shape of the post-Cold War world is at stake in the gulf crisis, along with the dependability of America`s commitments to its friends.
Bush singled out Japan, South Korea, West Germany, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the Kuwaiti government in exile among those that will provide financial aid or oil supplies. The exact amount of money being sought was not specified.
Though officials did not want to portray Bush`s efforts as diplomatic arm-twisting, Japanese Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu announced a $1 billion aid package after a talk with Bush on Wednesday.
Bush said he believes West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl also will be
”very responsive.”
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher slammed many of the European allies Thursday for providing only ”minimum” support in the confrontation with Iraq. Speaking to a political gathering in Finland, she said Europeans should not expect Washington to continue to be ”the world`s policeman” if its allies don`t support it ”when the crunch comes.”
Bush said his international aid plan, presented to a meeting of the National Security Council on Wednesday night, calls for ”substantial economic assistance” to Turkey and Egypt, which are particularly hurting because of the sanctions and higher oil prices, along with some aid to Jordan and to countries in Eastern Europe.
The U.S. military buildup in Saudi Arabia and in the gulf is costing about $46 million a day, or more than $1 billion a month. It comes at a time when the U.S. domestic economy is slowing and budget negotiations with Congress are stalled.
”We`re more than willing to bear our fair share of the burden . . . but we also expect others to bear their fair share,” Bush said, adding, ”It is important that the considerable burden of the effort be shared by those being defended and those who benefit from the free flow of oil.”
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Twice this week Bush met with members of congress who told him they were concerned that if the U.S. has to shoulder the entire burden of the crisis, support among the American public would wane.
The president said he wanted to avoid any suggestion that U.S. forces were acting as mercenaries, providing the manpower while other nations contributed only money.
”I wouldn`t want to have anything done that would make them look like mercenaries,” Bush said, citing the ability of other nations to pay for the fuel and transportation costs.
There are now 22 nations participating in either the blockade or other efforts against Iraq, the president said.
Bush also said he was pleased by the decision of 10 OPEC members ”to take up the slack” of nearly 4 million gallons of day in crude oil production that is now stopped because of the blockade against Iraq and occupied Kuwait. ”We`ve got a plan, and the plan is to work diplomatically, and the plan is to put on the ground a significant military force,” said Bush, who refused to speculate on the possibility of a shooting war breaking out.
”It`s so hard to answer that question because of the unpredictable nature of Saddam Hussein himself,” the president said. ”It`s very hard to measure intentions. . . . I don`t know what is in this man`s mind.”
He also dismissed Hussein`s challenge to debate with Bush and Thatcher on television.
The president said that while he was concerned about the fate of the 3,000 Americans who are still held in Iraq and Kuwait, he was adamant that
”we cannot permit hostage-taking to shape the foreign policy of this country.”
Bush administration officials expressed outrage Thursday as Iraq continued to impose restrictions on foreign women and children it had promised could go free. But the British Foreign Office said Iraq was arranging to fly Britons, possibly 132 women and children, directly to London. No time or date had been specified.
The president said he had no argument ”with the people of Iraq” and he stopped short of endorsing the belief of Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) that Hussein ”must either leave or be removed” in order to resolve the crisis. Bush did say, however, that he ”wouldn`t be disappointed” if the Iraqi people overthrew their ruler.
Speaking generally, Bush said he supported the Kuwaiti underground that has reportedly been ambushing Iraqi troops, but the president refused to say if the CIA or other U.S. forces were providing any training or equipment.
Foreign affairs experts in Washington have questioned whether Israeli officials, who fear Iraqi gas attacks and consistently have promoted the overthrow of Hussein, might want to draw in the United States to a joint offense against Iraq.
But Bush rejected that, saying ”Israel has behaved very well, and Israel has never had difficulty defending itself.”
Before the news conference, Bush met with his top intelligence and economic advisers Thursday, his third straight day in Washington.
Despite reports that Bush was disturbed by criticism of his vacationing in Kennebunkport, Maine, during the gulf crisis, the president left the White House late Thursday afternoon and returned to his vacation home for the long Labor Day weekend. ”I`m not troubled by it (the criticism),” Bush said. ”If I were, I suspect I wouldn`t be going back again.”