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White House targets mid-March for U.N. voteU.S., Britain working for Security Council votes
CRAWFORD, Texas (CNN) -- The Bush administration hopes that the U.N. Security Council will vote on a second resolution on Iraqi disarmament during the second week in March, a senior administration official said Friday. The White House hopes to have work completed by the United States and Britain on a new resolution by Monday or Tuesday at the latest, the official said. Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix plans to address the council March 7 to update it on the progress of inspections. The White House expects a vote on the new resolution would take place the following week. On Friday the United States and Britain worked on the language of the resolution, which is expected to emphasize international support for possible military action against Iraq, as they launched critical diplomatic efforts to gain the votes to pass it. The resolution would pass only if nine of the 15 member nations of the Security Council support it, including all five permanent members, who have veto power. France, China and Russia, all permanent council members, have spoken out against military action. 'A lot of diplomacy going on'President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of State Colin Powell are reaching out to the member nations. "There'll be a lot of diplomacy going on," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Friday. "There's no question that all 15 member states of the Security Council are important and will all be talked to." As part of the effort, Bush scheduled meetings for Friday evening and Saturday with Spanish President Jose Maria Aznar at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. Bush is hoping Aznar might take a leading role in helping push the resolution through the council -- perhaps even signing on as a co-author, a senior White House official said. Bush also hopes Aznar will help lobby Mexico and Chile, two current member nations of the council, the official said. Powell traveled to Japan on Friday to meet with top officials. He also worked to lobby support through an interview with the Arabic-language AlArabiya News Channel. Powell: 'We're not going to destroy Iraq'"We're not going to destroy Iraq," he vowed during the interview, which was released Friday. If there is a war, "Once the regime has been eliminated there will be institutions that remain in place." Responding to concerns that the United States might control Iraq's government after a war, he argued, "The United States' record is not one of imperialism. It is one of doing the job, bringing peace, restoring order and getting a responsible government in place. "If there is a conflict, then a military commander will initially be in charge -- not only to run the military operation, but to make sure that right after the operation things are secure, that the people are protected, that humanitarian supplies come in," he said. "And as soon as we can, we would want to get the military commander to transfer real authority to a civilian leadership ... consisting of people who are outside the country right now in the opposition as well as those who are inside the country who are responsible and who are committed to the same values." As military preparations for a possible war continue, the United States reached a "broad agreement" with Turkey over use of Turkish air bases and facilities, Turkish officials announced Friday. That agreement is likely to face a stiff test in the Turkish parliament. Bush also talked by phone to the emir of Kuwait -- another nation whose support is critical for the U.S. military strategy.
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