Monitor

THE CLINTON Administration said it would strike without warning if Iraq did not honour its promise to co-operate with inspectors. It has been very circumspect as Saddam flouted the inspectors over the past few weeks. In all cases, the White House has said its timing has been dictated by circumstance. It is impossible to disprove, but this conflict does remain the strangest coincidence yet.

Sydney Morning Herald, Australia

WHY WAS such military action necessary now, or more to the point, necessary at all? After almost eight years of sanctions and inspections, Saddam is still in power. The US and Britain believe Iraq still has the capability of assembling weapons of mass destruction. Over one million people against whom no one held any grudge are dead. When does it end? Commentators last night expressed surprise that Iraqi people were moving around Baghdad during the attack. It shouldn't come as a surprise - after all, they are the only ones who have had to endure the last eight years.

Jordan Times

THE DECISION to launch military strikes against Iraq is unimpeachable. As brave Americans and Britons wage war, the only appropriate response is one of unconditional support. There is no more important challenge for the civilized world at the close of the millennium than to ensure that Saddam Hussein and evil thugs like him cannot employ weapons of mass destruction. Any steps taken in that direction are to be welcomed, and these new air strikes are indeed steps toward a safer world.

New York Post, US

THE IRAQIS, wearied by years of tension, shrugged off the threat of imminent military strikes that could devastate their country. "We are not frightened any more. Whatever happens, we are not going to lose anything," said one Iraqi trader. His comments echoed those of many Baghdad residents who have lived through war, sanctions and a series of crises with the United Nations which has taken Iraq to the brink of military confrontation already three times this year.

Middle East Times, Egypt