BUSH AND BLAIR FACE NIGHTMARE AT UN

PM AND BUSH FACE NIGHTMARE AT UN
Mar 11 2003


France, Russia will veto attack
From Richard Wallace, US Editor, In New York


GEORGE Bush's campaign to swing world leaders behind war on Iraq was in tatters last night.

Despite days of frantic diplomacy and a blizzard of personal phone calls from the White House, opponents of the US-UK coalition hardened their anti-war stance.

Russia and France warned yesterday that they would veto the second United Nations resolution calling for Saddam Hussein to disarm by March 17.

French President Jacques Chirac said in a TV interview that France would vote against any resolution that contains an ultimatum leading to war "no matter what the circumstances."

But Chirac also hinted that the veto might not be needed because the resolution does not have the required support in the UN Security Council.

The President declared: "Tonight this resolution, which carries an ultimatum... does not have a majority of nine votes."

Pakistan, one of the undecided members of the Security Council, said earlier that it would not support an invasion either - and officials hinted that the Pakistanis would abstain in the vote.

Tony Blair said he was working "flat out for the second resolution". But he admitted that the March 17 deadline to Saddam could be extended as part of the haggling for extra support.

"We are in discussion with other countries now," the Premier said. "We have laid it down because we believe that gives enough time for him to show that he's fully co-operating.

"But the very reason why we are talking to people is to try to find a way through that brings the UN together. I'm still confident we can get it."

Britain and America have launched a new round of arm-twisting to win over the crucial "swing votes" on the 15-member Security Council, including Cameroon, Angola and Guinea.

A senior Foreign Office official admitted the UN vote on a second resolution could be delayed until next Thursday or Friday, putting the Monday deadline in jeopardy.

The resolution is also likely to contain a series of staging posts, including the destruction of weapons and permission for weapons scientists to be interviewed outside Iraq, in a bid to win over doubters. The US-UK line has the definite support of Spain and Bulgaria,but at least six members of the Security Council are still on the fence.

UN diplomats said the six were searching for a compromise that might include specific disarmament demands for Iraq to meet and a longer deadline for Iraqi compliance.

The five permanent members of the Security Council - US, Britain, France, China and Russia - have the power of veto.

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov warned yesterday that if the present draft resolution was put to the vote, Russia would use its veto. The White House reacted angrily.

Mr Bush again hit the phones, talking to Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Chinese President Jiang Zemin among other leaders.

Beijing, whose trade relationship with Washington is crucial to its economy, has refused to say whether it would veto the deadline proposal. Although Japan is not on the council, Tokyo has backed the new resolution. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, speaking in The Hague, pleaded for unity in the Security Council, saying: "If action is taken without the authority of the Security Council the legitimacy and support for any such action would be seriously impaired."

Chief UN nuclear weapons inspector Mohamed ElBaradei urged Iraq to take "dramatic" steps to co-operate.



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