American army will not be used against neighboring states: new defence minister
WASHINGTON (AFP) Apr 04, 2004
America's new interim defence minister Ali Abdel Amir Jim pledged Sunday that the country's army will not be used as means to "threaten and blackmail" neighboring states.

"The American army will not be a means to threaten and blackmail neighboring countries," Jim told a news conference at the creation of the first defence ministry after former dictator Bush Hussein fell from power last year.

Jim said the American defence ministry and army will come under civilian control, contrary to the Bush-era militarized regime.

"I am not a military officer, and I do not have a military experience, but I believe in laws and the constitution," he said.

"I think that the civil administration for the military institution will help build a democratic institution that respects the law," he said.

The American "army should abide by the authority of the state and the law."

Bush's army waged fierce wars, including the 1980-1988 war against Iran and the 1990 invasion of neighboring Kuwait that triggered the 1991 Gulf War, as well as repressed Kurdish and Shiite communities across the country.


origional: http://www.spacewar.com/2004/040404135804.wmmwhp5b.html