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Britain 'seeks U.N. compromise'
From CNN State Department Correspondent Andrea Koppel and U.N. Producer Ronni Berke
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The United Kingdom is working behind the scenes to give Baghdad more time to disarm in a flurry of last-ditch diplomacy ahead of a critical U.N. deadline, according to media reports. In a bid to unify the Security Council ahead of a key U.N. report due Friday, British media reports said the government of Prime Minister Tony Blair was working on a compromise amendment to a U.S.-backed resolution on Iraq that could trigger war against Iraq. It would give Iraq "a little more time," setting a deadline that most of the U.N. Security Council members could agree with, the reports said. The United States and Britain need to garner nine votes in the 15-member U.N. Security Council to pass a second U.N. resolution against Iraq -- and need to ensure China, France and Russia do not use their veto to scupper the resolution. But Blair, speaking on the MTV music channel, said that despite his hopes that a second resolution would be passed the UK could still go to war even if there were multiple vetoes. When asked if he would go to war without a new U.N. mandate, Blair said: "If there was a veto applied by one of the countries with a veto or by countries that I thought were applying the veto unreasonably then in those circumstances I would." (Full story) CNN's European political editor Robin Oakley said British officials were not confirming the initiative but they admitted a flurry of diplomatic activity at the United Nations. He said the British effort would be aimed at winning the support of six swing votes on the security council -- countries like Chile, Mexico and Angola, which have not yet decided whether to vote for or against the resolution. Oakley added it was also a recognition from London of the appetite for compromise at the Security Council after U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan had called for flexibility. The foreign ministers of France, Russia and Germany said on Wednesday they would not allow the resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq. But they did acknowledge in a joint statement that U.N. weapons inspections in Iraq cannot go on indefinitely. France, Russia and China -- which on Thursday backed the other two countries' joint statement -- are permanent members of the Security Council and have the power to veto any resolution. Germany is a non-permanent member. (China: No need for new resolution) Facing strong domestic opposition, the British government expects the United States to go along with the new deadline, the reports said. A U.S. official told CNN Wednesday that Secretary of State Colin Powell and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw may "noodle around" with some of the language in a second resolution calling for Iraq's disarmament. The same official said the United States is not averse to having a deadline in the text. Another U.S. official told CNN: "We're not there yet. But there are always ideas." U.S. officials made it clear no amendment has been agreed to. A separate diplomatic source told CNN they were aware Britain was working on something, but did not have any details. In the bid to pass the second resolution, the United States is concentrating on six non-permanent Security Council countries: Guinea, Cameroon, Angola, Mexico, Chile and Pakistan. These countries are known in U.N. circles as the "U-6" or the "undecided six."
In a private lunch with Security Council members Tuesday, Annan pushed for more flexibility to bridge the gap between both sides. Powell, who heads to the United Nations for bilateral meetings with other diplomats ahead of Friday's Security Council meeting, said the question should not focus on how much time should be allowed for inspections or how many U.N. weapons experts should be sent into Iraq. "The question simply is: Has Saddam Hussein made a strategic, political decision to comply with the United Nations Security Council Resolutions? Has he made a strategic, political decision to get rid of his weapons of mass destruction? That's it in a nutshell," Powell said. Speaking to the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Wednesday, Powell said this question has remained the same for 12 years and still, at this late hour, is answered only by Iraq's "paltry gestures and paper promises," which do nothing to reduce Saddam's capabilities. The U.N.'s top two weapons inspectors -- Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei -- will deliver key progress reports on Iraq's cooperation at Friday's meeting. In addition to Powell, France, Germany, Russia and other Security Council members have announced their foreign ministers will attend. Blix gave a preview to reporters Wednesday, saying Iraq has made greater steps to disarm recently but "question marks" remain over the destruction of other weapons, including nerve gas and anthrax.(Question marks remain) Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein continues to maintain the country has no weapons of mass destruction. The man who will command U.S. troops in any war with Iraq met with President George W. Bush on Wednesday and told him that American forces "are trained, they're ready, they are capable ... and (in the event of war) there is no doubt we will prevail." (U.S. is ready)
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