Hi Peg,

The two points you refer to above, taken in reverse order:

"BUSH got the UN to see reason". Subsequent to the ending of "Desert Storm" the Iraqi Government agreed to certain undertakings in relation to a number of UN Resolutions. They did not comply with those resolutions and sanctions were imposed, by the UN, to force compliance. Iraqi authorities continued to hinder the work of the UNSCOM inspection teams and they were withdrawn in 1998. The Iraqi Government invited the UN inspection teams to return 2002. If that had nothing to do with BUSH, what has held up that invitation from the Iraqi Government for three and a half years? - why was the invitation made when it was made?

The BS part about this being about oil, is the contention by some that a war is being instigated in order that America can "get it's hands on Iraqi oil". I apologise for not making that clear. So far, none of the people voicing that contention, regarding America doing what it is doing, to "get their hands on Iraqi oil" has come up with any rationale as how that could be done - or why. Where it is about oil is a regional threat whereby the resources of the region could be threatened - that affects other countries more so than it affects America, who still import most of their oil from South American oil fields.

To get back to the North Korean question. The agreement was that America would assist North Korea in developing nuclear power stations for civilian use on the proviso that North Korea halted its development in the field of nuclear weapons. I do not believe at any time was the agreement based on continuation of the weapons programme by North Korea up until such time as the civilian reactors were completed. North Korea did not stop its secret weapons programme, therefore US aid was not continued. Again I think it has been your current President's stand that has forced North Korea to "come clean" on what it has been doing since 1994 - When was George W Bush elected again? Who was there before him? Because all this was going on during his watch, much to the consternation of both South Korea and Japan.