`Axis of evil' charge raises questions

 



  WASHINGTON -- President Bush's declaration that countries such 
as Iran, Iraq and North Korea represent an ``axis of evil'' that 
must be prevented from acquiring weapons of mass destruction 
touched off questions around the globe Wednesday.

  White House spokesmen said Bush's blunt language during his 
State of the Union Address Tuesday did not mean that U.S. 
military action against any of the three was imminent.

  But the president's remarks clearly expanded the scope of his 
anti-terrorism campaign while elevating the fight against the 
spread of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons to a major 
foreign-policy priority, U.S. officials said.

  The president told Congress that Iran, Iraq and North Korea pose 
``a grave and growing danger'' because they seek weapons of mass 
destruction and have links with terrorist groups. He repeated 
the theme Wednesday during a town hall meeting in North 
Carolina, saying, ``The United States of America will do 
whatever it takes to defend our security.''

  All three nations Bush named angrily rejected his remarks. 
President Mohammad Khatami of Iran, whose attempt at reforms 
have gotten American support, accused the United States of 
``warmongering.''

  ``He spoke arrogantly, humiliatingly, aggressively and in an 
interfering way -- and worse than anything, it is an insult to 
the Iranian nation,'' Khatami said at a Cabinet session 
Wednesday night.

  Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan, responding to Bush's 
``axis of evil'' remark, said the U.S. government ``is the 
source of evil'' in the world.

  And North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) 
monitored in Seoul had this to say: ``The remarks were merely a 
shenanigan aimed at continuing with its policy of agression 
against us.''

  The rhetoric also caused shudders in U.S. allies South Korea, 
where President Kim Dae-jung has rested his reputation on easing 
a half-century of confrontation with the heavily armed communist 
North, and Japan, which is also within missile range of North 
Korea.

  ``I don't think it is a wise thing to corner the North Koreans 
and cut any routes to talking with them,'' said Yukihiko Ikeda, 
a Japanese congressman and former foreign minister.

  American intelligence has known for a decade or more of attempts 
by Iran, Iraq and North Korea to develop nuclear weapons, 
poisons and germs.

  But Bush's pledge to do whatever is necessary to stop them and 
nations like them appeared to represent a significant hardening 
of the U.S. position.

  
For Iran, Bush's condemnation marked a return to confrontation.

  Secretary of State Colin Powell and other officials had 
expressed optimism that Tehran's moderate behavior after the 
Sept. 11 terrorist attacks could lead to an opening with the 
Islamic nation.

  But U.S. officials have watched with chagrin in recent weeks as 
Iran has funneled weapons to its proxies in western Afghanistan 
and attempted to ship sophisticated arms to Yasser Arafat's 
Palestinian Authority. Israel seized the shipment Jan. 3.

  Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld had particularly harsh 
words for Iran Wednesday, saying it had been training terrorists 
``for a long time.''

  As with Iran, the Bush administration has tried talk and threats 
with North Korea.

  After assuming office, Bush initially declined to continue the 
Clinton administration's talks with Pyongyang on halting its 
development and export of ballistic missiles but eventually 
offered talks. Pyongyang has yet to respond.

  The president also named Iraq as a nation that ``continues to 
flaunt its hostility toward America and to support terror.''

  But U.S. intelligence officials say there is no evidence that 
Iraq played a role in the Sept. 11 attacks or has been 
particularly active in sponsoring international terrorism in 
recent years.

  Tom Infield of the Philadelphia Inquirer in Washington and 
Herald wire services contributed to this report.



Copyright 2002 Miami Herald