Hussein ‘Wrong’ to Doubt U.S. Readiness, Bush Says

President Bush said today that Iraq’s Saddam Hussein is “just as wrong as he can be” if he doubts that the United States will go to war to win the liberation of Kuwait.

Bush, at a news conference, said a U.N. resolution authorizing force against Iraq “must be fulfilled” unless Hussein withdraws all his troops from Kuwait by midnight Jan. 15.

The President refused to rule out the possibility of a date beyond Jan. 3 for planned talks in Baghdad between Secretary of State James A. Baker III and Hussein. But he suggested anew that the Iraqis’ choice of Jan. 12 would be too close to the U.N. deadline.

“Listen, if I thought that meeting on the 14th (of January) would permit him to comply fully with the United Nations resolutions, I’d be very flexible. But that’s not possible,” Bush said, apparently referring to the logistics of withdrawing a huge army on short notice.

Keeping the focus on the Persian Gulf crisis, Bush met with Ambassador Nathaniel Howell, who kept the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait open despite pressure from Baghdad. A meeting was also arranged with ambassadors from countries that have sent troops and have helped finance the gulf buildup.

Bush also said Hussein “does not understand the debate in this country” as members of Congress, as well as former military leaders, argue that sanctions should be given more time to work before force is used.

“He thinks it means that our country is divided, and we cannot go forward to do our part in implementing the U.N. resolutions,” Bush said. “And he’s just as wrong as he can be.”

But, Bush added, “I still hope for a peaceful solution to this problem.”