Word: letterer
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...master of brinkmanship let it be known that he would "unconditionally" allow the U.N. inspectors to return to their work of prying into suspected stockpiles of biological, chemical and nuclear weapons, he threw into confusion the best-laid American plans for military action against him. On the surface, the letter dispatched to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan appeared to fulfill U.S. demands that Iraq let unfettered inspections resume immediately. But it came with a two-page annex listing nine items Iraq wanted in return, which Saddam dubbed "positions" but the U.S. called unacceptable "conditions." The approval--and global sigh...
Those clarifications came overnight Saturday. While Pentagon planners revved up military forces for a possible Sunday strike, the White House engaged in a diplomatic marathon, trying to finalize an Iraqi commitment to unlimited and unfettered inspections. Early in the morning, in a final letter to the U.N., Baghdad abandoned the last of its conditions, and Clinton warily told the military to stand down. In a Sunday morning press conference, the President (who confessed he hadn't had much sleep) called the result a win: "Our willingness to strike produced the outcome we preferred." But he also made it clear that...
...also a question of pragmatism. Saddam's letter, late as it was, nearly instantly vaporized the international political consensus that would have supported a strike. Though the U.S. had insisted it would act alone if necessary, Saddam's retreat forced the White House to regroup with its allies. The tense see-sawing of the day produced a profound sense of deja vu. "Haven't we been here before?" sighed a Navy officer. "How many times are we going to let him do this...
...letter, however, was all Saddam needed to rev diplomacy into high gear. His yes-but reply arrived in New York City just hours later, forcing the Pentagon to hit the hold button on its imminent air strike. Then Annan gave an early-morning "positive" appraisal to the letter, deflating the momentum for military action before Washington had time to react. "We did a remarkable job isolating Saddam, and the Secretary-General undermined that," lamented a U.S. official. "It was not helpful. And that's a massive understatement...
Russia, France and China were emboldened by Saddam's letter to pressure the U.S. to put the safety pin back in the Tomahawks. "They are arguing to take yes for an answer, and we're saying it's a fraudulent yes," said an American official. While the Pentagon told its senior officers to show up "bright and early" Sunday morning to prepare for an air assault, Clinton, Albright and Berger were telephoning leaders around the world to bring them back on board. "We'll be prepared to act alone if we have to," said a White House aide...