Iraq Said to Have Tried to Reach Last-Minute Deal to Avert War

Could the war in Iraq have been averted with last-minute concessions by Saddam Hussein's regime? There were offers on the table in February, says this report in The New York Times. Iraqi intelligence officials are reported to have approached a Lebanese-American businessman to outline their position, who in turn met with Richard Perle, an influential adviser to the White House. The concessions included allowing US troops to inspect Iraq and even holding elections. Mr. Perle's attempts to bring the Iraqi offer to US intelligence officials were rebuffed, however. "The message was, 'Tell them that we will see them in Baghdad,'" said Mr. Perle. According to one senior US intelligence official, however, around that same time signals were coming from "a broad range of foreign intelligence services, other governments, third parties, charlatans and independent actors," and every lead was followed up. – YaleGlobal