Inhofe says country is going to war soon

Sunday, March 9th 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ Time has run out for Saddam Hussein and America does not need a United Nations resolution supporting an attack on Iraq, U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe said Saturday at the Tulsa County Republican Party Convention.

``If you needed a smoking gun, we've got it in the chemical warheads,'' the Oklahoma senator said. ``There are 12 of them out there.

``If you needed to tie a link between Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, we have already done that.''

The Bush administration says a tape recording of what is believed to be bin Laden's voice links him to Saddam.

Inhofe said the United Nations already has passed Resolution 1441, which requires Iraq to disarm. When that resolution was up for discussion, Inhofe said, Secretary of State Colin Powell told the voting members of the United Nations ``don't sign this resolution unless you agree that if he offends it we are going to war.''

All of the 15-nation Security Council members, including France, signed, Inhofe said.

``Now for them to get cold feet merely because they are concerned about a weapon of mass destruction that could reach them, they may not be with us,'' the Republican senator said.

Inhofe said he believes the war will happen within ``a relatively short period of time.'' U.S. allies have up to 250,000 troops in the Middle East geared for war, too many to keep on readiness status for more than two or three weeks. Also, the United States wants to strike before the weather gets too much hotter in the desert, he said.

Inhofe also mentioned a third reason.

``I think the White House intelligence will tell them that we are going to have to do something to avoid a major city being hit with a weapon of mass destruction,'' he said.

The United States, Britain and Spain have proposed delivering an ultimatum to Saddam to give up banned weapons by March 17 or face war. A bloc of U.N. members is fighting that idea.

Inhofe was a keynote speaker at the convention at the Lemley Campus of the Tulsa Technology Center. He also participated in the dedication of a new complex for the Oklahoma Air National Guard 138th Fighter Wing near Tulsa International Airport.