THE US/ IRAQ: President Bush conferred with senior military and national security advisers at the weekend over whether to use military force to take back control of two Iraqi cities, Falluja and Najaf, from insurgents, Conor O'Clery North America Editor in Washington
As he wrestled with one of his toughest choices of the war, Mr Bush was warned by the UN representative in Iraq, Mr Lakhdar Brahimi, against any "collective punishment" of the besieged cities.
What else do you call it when "you surround a city, bomb a city and people can't go to hospital," Mr Brahimi asked in an interview on ABC television broadcast yesterday.
He said he had pleaded with American officials in Iraq to tread carefully, and that "there is always a better solution than shooting your way in" to Falluja, where US Marines are waiting his order to enter the city.
Before flying to Camp David for the weekend, Mr Bush made clear that he favoured aggressive action, even if it risked sparking a more widespread insurrection, but officials said US generals were urging caution.
"This is an historic moment," he said at a campaign event in Florida on Friday evening. "They're trying to shake our will, but America will never be run out of Iraq by a bunch of thugs and killers." Defence Secretary Mr Donald Rumsfeld has also expressed strong doubts over the ability of Falluja political figures, with whom the Marines are negotiating, to influence the insurgents.
The harsh dilemma for Mr Bush comes at the end of the bloodiest month of the US-led venture in Iraq. The consequences of mounting casualties among US soldiers and Iraqis, and the possible collapse of the effort to implant democracy in Iraq, could be very high in an election year.
In 10 weeks, the US plans to hand over some sovereignty to a caretaker government, whose members will be chosen by Mr Brahimi to give it some international respectability.
The UN envoy indicated yesterday that only a few members of the US-appointed governing council would be considered, and that the one-time Washington favourite, Mr Ahmed Chalabi, would be excluded.
Mr Chalabi has angered the administration by saying the US plan to rehabilitate some former Baath Party members in Iraq was like allowing Nazis to come to power in post-war Germany.
The UN's Mr Brahimi said the caretaker Iraqi government should be formed of honest people acceptable to Iraqis and that members of the governing council should concentrate instead on elections in January.
He is expected to return to Baghdad on May 1st to begin selecting a prime minister, a president, two vice-presidents and 25 cabinet members for the caretaker government, which will have no legal powers or any say in security matters, which will still be under US control.