THE POWELL STATEMENT: WORLD OF DOUBTS

By Mark Ellis, Foreign Editor


THE US and Britain yesterday remained isolated on the 15-member UN Security Council as the only ones which support forcibly disarming Iraq.

The other 13 were unswayed by Colin Powell's speech.

Three key permanent members - France, Russia and China, with veto powers over a second resolution which could lead to war - voiced grave reservations about military action. All said the work of the weapons inspectors must go on to avoid war.

France, which with Germany is leading European opposition to war, called for the number of inspectors to be tripled.

Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said: "The use of force can only be a final recourse. We must strengthen the inspections. Let us double, let us triple the number of inspectors. Let us open more regional offices. Let us very significantly reinforce the capacity for monitoring and collecting information."

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov also wanted more inspections: "They alone can provide an answer to the question of to what extent is Iraq complying with the demands of the Security Council."

China was another nation that came out in support of continued inspections.

Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan said: "It is the universal desire of the international community to see a political settlement and avoid any war.

"As long as there is still the slightest hope for a political settlement we must exert our utmost effort to achieve that."

Germany, a non-permanent member which currently holds the Security Council presidency, insisted Iraq must be disarmed peacefully and said it will not join an attack even if UN authorised it.

Spain's Foreign Minister Ana Palacio was more warlike: "Saddam Hussein's regime must understand that if it doesn't comply with its obligations, it must confront the grave consequences of Resolution 1441."

Canada's Foreign Minister Bill Graham said there was "disturbing and persuasive" evidence that Iraq was trying to deceive the inspectors - but there was no need for immediate attack.

Cameroon called for continued inspections and suggested that UN Secretary General Kofi Annan visit Baghdad to help find a peaceful solution.

Iraq called Mr Powell's speech a "typical American show complete with stunts and special effects". Saddam's adviser Lt Gen Amir al-Saadi dismissed taped conversations which Mr Powell said were between Iraqi officials trying to hide banned materials from inspectors: "Any third-rate intelligence outfit could produce such recordings. It is simply not true. This is simply manufactured evidence.''

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said it was not too late to avoid war and urged Baghdad to heed Security Council pleas to co-operate more wholeheartedly with the inspectors.

He added: "If they do that, we can avoid a war. I am not going to Baghdad but the inspectors are going and they should be listened to."

Two former UN Assistant Secretary Generals - Hans von Sponeck and Denis Halliday - signed the Daily Mirror's Not In Our Name petition and said they were unshakeably opposed to war.

Mr von Sponek told Mr Powell: "It is your historic responsibility to adhere to the truth, not to present manipulated allegations as evidence.

"The right of assessing what you allege lies with the UN, not with your government and London. This is a classic example of manipulating allegations, allegations converted into facts.

"A pre-emptive war would not only constitute the death penalty for large numbers of innocent civilians, it would also violate international law and further marginalise the UN."

Mr Halliday said: "It is less about the mindlessness of Bush and the confused loyalty of his foreign minister Blair and more about the killing of thousands of innocent Iraqis and the termination of international law and the UN."

But former chief UN weapons inspector Richard Butler said Mr Powell put a compelling case. "He demonstrated that it is not a question of superficial co-operation with inspectors but it is the continuation by Iraq of its weapons programme.

"It is stunning to think that even after the renewal of inspections Iraq was still seeking to make more weapons of mass destruction."

David Kay, another former weapons inspector, said Mr Powell "met very well the challenge of why we believe this is a threat."

Joe Biden, leading Democrat on the Senate foreign relations committee, said: "If I had this evidence before a jury that was unbiased, I could get a conviction." But he said it may not be enough to convince the UN. "Mr Powell has a tougher jury and there is a lot of scepticism in the international community."

Marc Ginsberg, former US ambassador to Morocco and expert on the Middle East, said Mr Powell had presented a "treasure trove" of smoking guns. "He laid out a full indictment that would convict Saddam in any court of world public opinion about his ties to al-Qaeda and the cells operating throughout Europe."

In Britain Andrew Murray, chair of the Stop the War Coalition, said: "Colin Powell's statement is a rehash of unprovable speculation, questionable evidence and inconclusive assertions."


The UK Mirror