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Bush meets with president of LatviaAdministration works on new U.N. resolution
From Dana Bash
WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Bush met Monday with the president of Latvia, a member of what the U.S. president has dubbed the "coalition of the willing," as U.S. and British officials hammered out language to declare Iraq in material breach of U.N. Resolution 1441. U.S. and British officials say the proposed resolution, which they plan to offer at the United Nations this coming week, will likely be "simple and to the point." "It will be pretty comprehensive, brief and reiterate the essentials of [Resolution] 1441, which said Iraq would suffer 'serious consequences' if they do not disarm," said an administration official, who noted that it will be the 18th U.N. resolution dealing with the Iraqi issue. After meeting with Bush in the Oval Office, Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga expressed support for the administration's stance against Iraq. "We have seen the results of appeasement. ... it is much easier to tolerate a dictator when he is dictating over somebody else's life and not your own," she said. Latvia was one of 10 Eastern European countries that signed a letter supporting the U.S. approach toward Iraq. As for another resolution, a diplomatic source told CNN that U.S. and British officials are working on "many versions and there are many suggestions" for its language. The hope, the source said, is to introduce it this coming week, "unless judging by the basis of soundings" from other Security Council members that it is clear it is "going nowhere." The same source said the U.S. and British strategy is to "keep the screws on" the U.N. Security Council over the next two weeks as Hans Blix prepares his next report on Iraqi compliance by March 1. The idea is to pressure Blix to push Iraq to comply in the key, specific areas where Saddam Hussein has not cooperated, and to "clear last Friday's report out of the system" of the United Nations. Blix is the head of the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission. France, Russia, China and other members of the Security Council seized on the parts of Blix's report from Friday that talked about Iraqi compliance. They said the inspections are working and should continue. An administration official expressed frustration at the way Blix's report was interpreted, saying the chief weapons inspector never said Iraq was complying. "Making progress is not material, the issue is disarmament," said the official. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice made clear Sunday that the French proposal to hear a report from weapons inspectors March 14 was not the U.S. timeline. "It is time for this to end," said Rice. An administration official said the president and his top aides will continue consultations with world leaders over the next two weeks. Bush will host Spanish President Jose Maria Aznar at his ranch in Crawford, Texas and will work the phones with other leaders as he tries to sway the world that the time for diplomacy in dealing with Iraq is over.
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