REMEMBER WHEN

GOLD COAST BULLETIN Wednesday, March 19, 2003 SADDAM Hussein and his sons had until 11am the next day to get out of Iraq or face “the full force and might” of the American military and its Australian and British allies, US President George W. Bush warned.

“The tyrant will soon be gone,’’ Mr Bush pledged in what was a virtual declaration of war after Iraq’s rejection in advance of any ultimatum.

“It is too late for Saddam Hussein to remain in power,” Mr Bush said in a televised address also broadcast on Iraqi radio. ”All the decades and deceit and cruelty have now reached an end.’’

Prime Minister John Howard, announcing that Australia officially had agreed to President Bush’s request to join the military action, said the move was “right”.

“It is legal, it is directed towards the protection of the Australian national interest,’’ he said.

While conceding many Australians would disagree with his decision, Mr Howard called for total support of the 2000 members of the Australian military forces in the Persian Gulf.

“Have your beef with me,’’ he said, ”do not have your beef with the men and women of the Australian Defence Force.’’

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan joined France and Russia in condemning military action saying it was not properly sanctioned. He ordered the 300 UN weapons inspectors, humanitarian workers and 1000 peacekeepers on the Iraq-Kuwait border out of the country.

They joined the final exodus of journalists and foreign diplomats.

This week marked 14 years since the war in Iraq began. It ended in 2011