State of Siege - Tom Clancy [51]
"Then what are our options prior to the deadline?" the secretary-general asked.
"Militarily?" Mott asked. "My people are willing to go in without visuals, if they have to."
"Is your team ready for an operation like that?" the secretary-general asked.
Ani could have answered that question. The Military Staff strike force was not ready for action. They'd never been field-tested and they were understaffed. If one or two key people went down, there were no reserves. The problem was that along with the rest of the UN secretariat staff, the MS unit had been cut by 25 percent over the past few years. Moreover, the ablest people went into the private sector, such as corporate security and law enforcement, where pay and the opportunities for promotion were better. "We're prepared to go in and end the standoff," Mott said. "But I have to be honest, ma'am. If we enter the chambers with the intention of removing the terrorists, there is a very strong likelihoWill of losses not just of my team members, but among panicked delegates and children."
"We can't risk that," Secretary-General Chatterjee said. "Our chances would certainly be better if we waited for reconnaissance," Mott admitted.
"What about using tear gas against the terrorists?" asked Deputy Secretary-General Takahara.
"The Security Council is a very large room," Mott said. "Because of that, it would take at least seventy seconds to deliver gas through the ventilation system, slightly less time by opening the doors and hurling in grenades. Either way, that would give the terrorists time to put on gas masks, if they have them, to shoot out the two windows to dilute the effectiveness of the gas, to kill the hostages when they realize what's happening, or to move to another locale with the hostages as shields. If they possess poison gas as they've said, my guess is " that they probably do have masks." "They're going to kill all the hostages anyway," said one of the undersecretaries-general. Ani believed that it might be Fernando Campos of Portugal, one of the few militants who had the secretary-general's tar. "At least if we go in now, we may be able to save some of them."
There was some loud murmuring around the table. Secretary-General Chatterjee quieted it and returned the floor to Mott. "My recommendation, again, is that we wait until we have some images from the chamber," Mott concluded.
"Just so we know where the enemy and the hostages are. "The additional time as well as your pictures will be bought with the lives of delegates," said the man Ani thought was Undersecretary-General Campos. "I say we go in and end this matter."
Chatterjee tabled the military side of the discussion and asked if Mott had any other ideas. The colonel said that thought had also been given to shutting off the air and electricity in the Security Council chambers or of turning up the air-conditioning to make the terrorists uncomfortable. But he and the Military Staff Committee had decided that those actions would be more provocative than useful. He said that as yet they hadn't come up with anything else. There was a short silence. Ani noted that the final half-hour mark had come and gone. She had a strong feeling what Chatterjee was going to do: just what she always did.
"Although I'm sympathetic to what Colonel Mott and Undersecretary-General Campos have suggested, we cannot give the terrorists what they want," Chatterjee said at last, her husky voice lower than usual. "But a serious gesture must be made to acknowledge their status."
"Their status?" Colonel Mott asked. "Yes," Chatterjee said. "Such as what, ma'am?" Mott demanded. "They're ruthless killers-was "Colonel, this is not the time to express our indignation," Chatterjee said. "Since we cannot give the terrorists what they want, we must offer them what we have."
"Which is?" Mott asked. "Our humility."
"Good Christ," Mott muttered.
"This is not your former SEAL'S command," Chatterjee said sternly. "We shall "seek a solution by negotiation, enquiry, mediation, conciliation,