Topple Sadam for democracy: Bush

Toppling Saddam Hussein would do more than protect America, it would sow seeds of democracy and peace in the Middle East, US President George W. Bush said.

Bush has largely been silent on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in recent months as he tried to focus the world's attention on Iraq. Yet Wednesday night, in a speech to conservative activists, he tied the issues together, emphasizing in a new way a broader rationale to his case for war to disarm Saddam's regime.

Changing the leadership in Baghdad could "begin a new stage for Middle Eastern peace and set in motion progress toward a truly democratic Palestinian state," Bush said.

"The passing of Saddam Hussein's regime will deprive terrorist networks of a wealthy patron that pays for terrorist training and offers rewards to families of suicide bombers," he said. "And other regimes will be given a clear warning that support for terror will not be tolerated."

There is little tradition of democracy in the Arab world, but Bush said an American-led invasion could change that.

"After defeating enemies, we did not leave behind occupying armies, we left constitutions and parliaments," Bush said. "There was a time when many said that the cultures of Japan and Germany were incapable of sustaining democratic values. Well, they were wrong. Some say the same of Iraq today. They are mistaken."

Meanwhile senior administration officials briefed reporters on their vision of a postwar Iraq: The US military would control Iraq in the short term after Saddam's removal; troops would maintain security, protect Iraq's oil fields, ensure that other nations respect Iraq's existing borders and find and destroy weapons of mass destruction.

A civilian administrator eventually would take over the work of engaging Iraqis in the formation of a democratic government. The transition would last months, not weeks, the official said.

Trouble for Blair

In London, Prime Minister Tony Blair resumed the diplomatic offensive for disarming Iraq yesterday after suffering a large revolt within his party about his hard-line policy.

Blair flew to Spain yesterday to meet Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, whose government has joined with Britain and the US in proposing a second UN Security Council resolution declaring that Saddam Hussein has failed to meet demands for disposing of weapons of mass destruction.

Aznar was in Paris Wednesday but failed to budge President Jacques Chirac from his opposition to a second resolution which could pave the way for war within weeks.

"We are opposed to all new resolutions," said Chirac.

On Wednesday, 122 lawmakers from Blair's Labour Party voted for a motion which called the case for war "unproven." In all, 199 lawmakers supported the amendment, though the government mustered 393 votes to easily defeat it.

The revolt in the party was the largest since Blair took power in 1997, and reflected deep divisions within Labour and the country at large over the Iraq crisis.

"There is no question that as a result of this we will change policy," said Foreign Office minister Mike O'Brien.

Under Britain's constitution, Blair doesn't need Parliament's backing to go to war, but the vote does expose the prime minister's vulnerability within his party.

Turkey dithers

In Ankara, Turkey's top politician gathered lawmakers of his ruling party yesterday to press them to vote in favor of the deployment of more than 60,000 US combat troops in Turkey for a possible Iraq war.

Parliament had been expected to vote on the deployment later yesterday, but Salih Kapusuz, deputy chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party, said the party would ask parliament to postpone the debate to tomorrow.

Kapusuz said the Justice lawmakers had not completed their discussions on the deployment -- a sign that party leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the government were having difficulties convincing legislators to back the motion.

Diplomats have been negotiating a multibillion dollar economic aid package aimed at compensating Turkey for any losses incurred in a war. They are also negotiating the future of Iraq and the military command structure in case of US and Turkish deployment in northern Iraq.

Kurds unhappy

The Iraqi opposition, meeting in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq, however, said yesterday it wanted talks with Washington and Ankara to try to prevent Turkish troops moving into Iraq.

The opposition, especially the two main Kurdish parties administering a large chunk of northern Iraq, are bitterly opposed to Turkish troops being deployed in the north in the event of a US-led war against Iraq, but Zalmay Khalilzad, US special envoy for "free Iraqis", said at a news briefing on Wednesday that he hoped Turkey would be part of the coalition, implying it would have a role in northern Iraq "fully coordinated within the coalition."