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Defiant Russia may use veto
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Russia has warned that it may use its veto at the U.N. Security Council to block any resolution paving the way for war against Iraq. Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov also appealed Tuesday for U.N. weapons inspectors in Iraq to be allowed to set their own deadline for verifying that President Saddam Hussein has destroyed banned weapons. During a visit to London, Ivanov insisted Moscow would not support any measure furthering the possibility of war, nor abstain in any future U.N. Security Council vote on Iraq. He also said that existing resolution 1441 did not provide for military action and warned the U.S. that the use force without a second resolution would be "a serious mistake with serious consequences." In Washington, officials said the U.S. plans to seek a vote on the second U.N. resolution next week after top weapons inspectors Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei report to the U.N. Friday. They also said the Bush administration had not ruled out abandoning plans for a vote on a second U.N. resolution on Iraq if it was clear defeat is imminent. (Full story) U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell told Britain's Channel 4 news that "time is running out" for efforts to prevent war on Iraq. He refused to predict when war would begin but hinted that a decision on military action would be made next week. Ivanov told the BBC World Service: "If the situation so demands, Russia will of course use its right of veto -- as an extreme measure -- to avoid the worst development of the situation," Ivanov said in an interview with the BBC World Service. "Russia would not support any decision that would directly or indirectly lead to a war with Iraq," he added. Ivanov said Russia, which like China, France and Germany opposes the hardline stance of Washington and London against Saddam, would not abstain in any future U.N. vote. "The Iraq question is precisely that sort of question when permanent members of the Security Council should not abstain," he told a news conference. Before the outbreak of the 1991 Gulf War, Moscow sent envoys to try and persuade Saddam to withdraw from Kuwait peacefully, but in the end backed the coalition that chased his troops out. Powell said that the U.S. would not start any action until after Blix and ElBaradei report Friday. But he made clear that the U.S. was ready to go alone -- or with a "coalition of the willing" -- if U.N. support could not be achieved. Asked how long Washington was willing to wait, Mr Powell told Channel 4 News: "We'll wait and see what they say on Friday and then I would say in the not-too-distant future. We're not talking a long period of time. "I don't want to get too pinned down on days or weeks or a week, but certainly I think next week we would have to give very serious consideration as to what the next step would be." Powell said that the decision of the Turkish parliament to deny the U.S. bases for its troops was a "disappointment" but said he was confident that it would not prevent America from carrying out its mission "in an efficient and effective way and achieve our objectives." Ivanov insisted unanimity in the Security Council, rather than talk of veto-wielding, was the best way forward. "Only unanimity will provide success in the solution of the Iraqi problem," he said. "In the past Iraq used the differences in the Security Council and has managed to avoid solutions." Ivanov called for concrete time limits to be set by U.N. inspectors, led by Blix and ElBaradei. "We insist that Blix and ElBaradei on March 7 give a clear plan for work... and say how long it will take them," he said. "All we have asked Iraq to do so far, Iraq has carried out. Therefore, the inspectors should set out a concrete plan." Ivanov was in talks with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and after their meeting ther two sought to play down their differences, insisting that both remained committed to the disarmament of Iraq. However, Ivanov insisted that resolution 1441 "did not authorise the automatic use of force" against Iraq -- flatly contradicting Straw's earlier evidence to the House of Commons Foreign Affairs committee. Straw said they had not discussed whether Russia would back a new resolution. "We didn't get down to discussing votes on this or votes on that. What we were discussing was our overall strategy on Iraq," he said. Ivanov will hold further talks tomorrow with Prime Minister Tony Blair, who was unable to attend Tuesday's meeting due to talks on Northern Ireland over-running.
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