The Times Union (Albany, NY) February 25, 2003
Bush urges U.N. vote for action;
President seeks Security Council approval of new resolution that Iraq has defied order; rival plan asks for more time
By Stewart M. Powell; Times Union Washington Bureau
President Bush on Monday launched his diplomatic endgame to disarm Iraq by urging the divided United Nations Security Council to approve a new resolution that could clear the way for U.S.-led military action.
The proposal, co-sponsored by Britain and Spain, called upon the Security Council to declare that "Iraq has failed to take the final opportunity" to disarm and now faces the "serious consequences" outlined in the U.N. resolution on Iraqi weapons unanimously approved Nov. 8.
But France, Germany and Russia introduced a counter-proposal that called for additional weapons inspectors to carry out a five-month, step-by-step schedule for Iraq to relinquish suspected chemical, biological and nuclear weapons materials.
The three countries' memorandum to the Security Council said that military action "should only be a last resort," adding: "So far, the conditions for using force against Iraq are not fulfilled." China endorsed the initiative. Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States have the power to veto Security Council actions.
Disarmament "can be achieved peacefully, through inspections," French President Jacques Chirac said shortly before meeting with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in Berlin.
The Bush-backed proposal did not set a deadline for Security Council action. It did not stipulate a deadline for Iraqi compliance. And it did not explicitly authorize the use of military force to compel Iraqi disarmament, electing instead to refer back to a warning outlined in the Security Council resolution adopted Nov. 8.
National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice left no doubt that the U.S.-backed measure, if approved, would be cited by U.S. officials as U.N. authorization to carry out military action.
"It is hard to imagine any other way, if he has failed to voluntarily disarm, to disarm him except forcibly," Rice said.
She dismissed the French-German approach as "the worst of both worlds," tantamount to an admission that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was not complying with the resolution requiring him to disarm, while helping Saddam "alter and play with" the resolution's requirements.
White House officials urged the Security Council to take until mid-March to act on the resolution and signaled flexibility on final wording in hopes of garnering the nine votes needed for passage on the 15-nation council.
According to The Washington Post, in meetings Monday with senior officials in Moscow, Under Secretary of State John R. Bolton told the Russian government that "we're going ahead," whether the council agrees or not, a source said.
Action by the Security Council is not expected before the March 7 progress report on Iraqi disarmament by U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix and Mohammed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Eleven of the council's 15 members have voiced support for continued U.N. weapons inspections in Iraq. Only the United States, Britain, Spain and Bulgaria so far have endorsed threats to disarm Iraq by force.
A follow-up resolution "is not necessary, but it is desirable," White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said. Bush "hopes the Security Council will enforce its resolutions to disarm Saddam Hussein -- but if they do not, a coalition of the willing will do so."
Amid the debate at the Security Council on Monday evening, Saddam, in an exclusive interview with CBS News anchor Dan Rather in Iraq, challenged President Bush to a debate and announced that Iraq would not destroy its arsenal of Al-Samoud 2 missiles. U.N. weapons inspectors have ordered the destruction to begin Saturday. The full interview is to air Wednesday.
Asked whether the Al-Samoud 2 missiles are "proper," Saddam was quoted as replying: "We do not have missiles that go beyond the prescribed range."
The U.N. order was issued after international experts determined the missile flew farther than the 93-mile limit set down by the United Nations in 1991. Iraq maintains some of the missiles overshot the limit because they were tested without warheads and guidance systems.
The Al-Samoud 2 missiles probably would be among the first weapons fired to slow or stop any U.S. invasion, military experts told The Washington Post.
"I think the Al-Samoud is one of the keys to his (Saddam's) strategy," said John Pike, an analyst at Globalsecurity.org. "As soon as the Iraqis decide that the U.S. 5th Corps is heading toward Baghdad, the bulk of the Al-Samouds are going to come flying out of Basra into Kuwait, tipped with an assortment of nasties."
A majority of Americans believe the United States should work to gain the support of the Security Council even if it means delaying war with Iraq, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll.
The survey found that 56 percent of the public is willing to wait to win U.N. endorsement of U.S.-led military strikes against Iraq. Another 39 percent said the United States should "move quickly," even without the Security Council's backing.
Overall support for taking military action against Iraq stands at 63 percent. Half the country continues to believe the United States should move against Saddam even over the objections of the United Nations. A majority -- 57 percent -- would favor taking action without the approval of the United Nations if this country had the support of key allies such as Britain.
FACTS:RESOLUTIONS
Key points of the U.S.-British-Spanish draft Security Council resolution on Iraq:
Refers to previous Security Council resolutions on Iraq, including one passed in August 1990 after Iraq's invasion of neighboring Kuwait, and Resolution 1441, passed Nov. 8.
Recalls that Resolution 1441 found Iraq in "material breach of its obligations" but afforded it "a final opportunity to comply with its disarmament obligations."
Citing the section of the U.N. Charter that allows for military enforcement, the draft asks the council to decide that "Iraq has failed to take the final opportunity afforded to it in Resolution 1441."
The French, German and Russian memorandum:
Says "the Security Council must step up its efforts to give a real chance to the peaceful settlement of this crisis" and "the military option should only be a last resort."
Says "no evidence has been given that Iraq still possesses weapons of mass destruction or capabilities in this field" and that inspections "are functioning without hindrance."
Calls for a "clear program of action" for weapons inspectors to disarm Iraq peacefully.
Source: Associated Press
What's next
Today
Turkish parliament likely to vote on allowing U.S. combat troops.
Saturday
Written report due to the U.N. Security Council from chief weapons inspector Hans Blix. Deadline for Iraq to begin destroying dozens of missiles with ranges that violate U.N. limits. Arab leaders to meet in Cairo.
March 7
Blix to brief Security Council.
April 11
Next report from U.N. nuclear chief Mohamed ElBaradei due to the council.
Copyright © 2003, The Hearst Corporation
