October 11
Iraq Says Warning From U.S. Diplomat Is 'Stupid'
By Hassan Hafidh

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq has dismissed as ``stupid'' a warning it received from United
States not to take advantage of the Western campaign against Afghanistan (news - web sites)
to launch military action in the region.

In a rare meeting with Iraqi diplomats, the chief U.S. envoy to the United Nations (news -
web sites), John Negroponte, warned on Sunday night that Iraq would pay a heavy price if it
used the current situation to act against its own population or any neighboring states.

The Iraqi government on Thursday made public the text of a the reply delivered to the U.S.
mission by its ambassador to the United Nations, Mohammed Aldouri.

``Your message is stupid. Iraq is not afraid of you or anyone else when it has a right to
claim. What you warned about is not on Iraq's agenda,'' Aldouri said.

``Iraq is vital and powerful. It is not an opportunistic country. Your administration has not
learned from the past,'' Aldouri said.

The unusual encounter at the United Nations, revealed to Reuters by senior U.S. and foreign
diplomats, began with a visit to Iraq's U.N. mission by Negroponte, who read from a
prepared text.

On Monday, Aldouri went to the U.S. mission and read his reply.

U.S. officials and diplomats said the United States was concerned Iraq might move at home
against rebellious Kurds, as it has several times over the past two decades, or any of its
neighbors. Baghdad attacked Iran in 1980 and invaded Kuwait a decade later.

The United States has said there is no hard evidence linking Iraq to the attacks against the
World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon (news - web sites) in Washington.

But some in the administration of President Bush (news - web sites) believe the war on
terrorism should also be aimed at Iraq to make sure it is not developing weapons of mass
destruction.

Baghdad has not condemned the suicide attacks on New York and Washington. Aldouri told
the U.N. General Assembly last week it would be hypocritical for Iraq to do so.

Iraq, whom Washington regards as a ``sponsor of terrorism,'' has denied any link with the
attacks or with the prime suspect, Saudi-born Islamic militant Osama bin Laden (news - web
sites).

A U.S.-led coalition forced Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait in 1991. Since then, U.S. and
British aircraft have been patrolling ``no-fly'' zones that cover large parts of Iraq.

Washington says the zones are necessary to protect their Kurdish and Shi'ite populations
from attack by the central government. Baghdad says hundreds of civilians have died in
Western air raids on targets on the zones.

An Iraqi military spokesman said on Wednesday that Iraq's upgraded air defenses had shot
down a third American unmanned plane over the southern fly zone. The U.S. military
acknowledged the RQ-1B drone was missing. 
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