The "White Phosphorus" report is at :
English version (watch or download)
http://www.rainews24.rai.it/ran24/inchiesta/video.asp
Military Defends Use of White Phosphorus,
as Pentagon Chief Hits 'NY Times'
By Greg Mitchell
Published: December 01, 2005 10:30 AM ET
NEW YORK With its use by the U.S. in Iraq as a weapon against insurgents
drawing international attention, Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff, has endorsed the incendiary, white phosphorous. As he did,
Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld took a shot at The New York Times, which
came out for a ban on its use in Iraq in a Tuesday editorial.
White phosphorus (or "Willie Pete" as it's known to soldiers) is most
commonly used by the military in the field to illuminate the sky at night,
but has also been targeted directly against insurgents at times in Iraq (see
Pressing Issue column at this site). The Pentagon at first denied this last
month, and then admitted it was sometimes used as a "conventional" weapon
against insurgents. Because of its napalm-like burning quality, this has
caused protest abroad and now, with the Times editorial, at home.
At a press briefing this week, Pace and Rumsfeld were asked to respond to
the Times editorial. Pace said, "A bullet goes through skin even faster than
white phosphorus does." The transcript of that part of the briefing follows.
*
Q: Mr. Secretary, in its lead editorial this morning, The New York Times
takes issue with you and the Bush administration for the way the United
States is waging this war, and particularly --
RUMSFELD: They have done that almost every day since it started. We're not
going to hang our hats on that, a New York Times editorial! My goodness,
Ivan! I'm stunned! (Laughter.)
Q: But in its final paragraph or so, it takes particular issue with the use
of white phosphorus in urban areas. And based on what we have learned so
far, have you banned the use of "Willy Pete" or are you considering banning
it? Or will it continue to be used?
RUMSFELD: General Pace.
PACE: White phosphorus is a legitimate tool of the military. It is used for
two primary purposes. One is to mark a location for strike by an aircraft,
for example. The other is to be used -- because it does create white
smoke -- to be used as a screening agent so that you can move your forces
without being seen by the enemy.
It is not a chemical weapon, it is an incendiary, and it is well within the
law of war to use those weapons as they are being used for marking and for
screening.
Q: But you and I have both seen the results of "Willy Pete" in Vietnam. And
when it's on the skin, it doesn't stop burning until it goes all the way
through or runs out of oxygen. It's a pretty tough weapon. Do you want to
use it in urban areas such as Fallujah?
PACE: No armed force in the world goes to greater effort than your armed
force to protect civilians and to be very precise in the way we apply our
power. A bullet goes through skin even faster than white phosphorus does. So
I would rather have the proper instrument applied at the proper time as
precisely as possible to get the job done in a way that kills as many of the
bad guys as possible and does as little collateral damage
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