New UN Iraq Draft May Not Explicitly Mention War
[Reuters]
Feb. 7
? By Evelyn Leopold
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A new U.N. resolution seeking international legitimacy to invade Iraq may not have a deadline and is likely to fall short of an explicit authorization of force, diplomats said on Friday.
Britain, which is expected to introduce such a resolution, despite French, Russian, Chinese and German opposition, has been drafting various elements of the measure. But British officials say proposals so far have remained within London.
The Bush administration wants all U.N. legal groundwork completed by mid-March, with some officials arguing that no deadline is necessary while others say any ultimatum to Saddam Hussein to comply must be a short one, 48 hours or less than two weeks. If there is a U.N. Security Council resolution, members do not anticipate adoption before the end of February.
In 1990, when the United States sponsored a successful U.N. Security Council resolution to expel Iraqi troops from Kuwait, the document said countries could use "all necessary means" to achieve that end.
But in order to get as much support as possible, Britain's U.N. ambassador, Sir Jeremy Greenstock, said that any new council measure might declare that Iraq is in "further material breach" -- diplomatic code words for war -- of a Nov. 8, 2002, resolution that sent U.N. arms inspectors back to Iraq.
If there were a resolution without a deadline date and without spelling out consequences, some council diplomats say Russia, and possibly France, would consider it.
The Nov. 8 resolution made clear Iraq would face "serious consequences" if it failed to cooperate "immediately, unconditionally and actively" with the inspectors.
"That there has been a further material breach, that Iraq has squandered its final opportunity, and that the 'serious consequences' are now something that Iraq is liable to," Greenstock said.
He said the precise language had not been decided but "that is the area where the Security Council will be debating."
No document is likely to emerge until after Feb. 14 when top U.N. inspectors, Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei, report to the council, after their trip to Baghdad this weekend, on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs.
Without substantial improvement, Blix may repeat his Jan. 27 statement that Iraq had not come to a "genuine acceptance" of its disarmament obligations by failing to answer crucial questions on its chemical and biological arms programs.
UPHILL BATTLE
For a resolution to be adopted in the 15-member council, it needs nine "yes" and no veto from its five permanent members -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China.
At least eight council members are jittery about a war and have said they want more time for weapons inspections.
Their position was unchanged after Secretary of State Colin Powell laid out Washington's case against Iraq on Wednesday. On Thursday President Bush said he would welcome another U.N. resolution on disarming Iraq but only if it led to prompt action to stop Saddam Hussein.
France, which led the resistance to original American proposals for the Nov. 8 resolution, is considered key, and is estimated to influence at least five Security Council members.
While speculation is rife that France will not block such a measure, little in its public statements indicates Paris is in a mood to negotiate, at least not immediately.
"It's not a game, it's not over," French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin said on a trip to India, a clear rebuke to Bush who on Thursday said "the game is over" for Saddam.
To counter U.S. and British lobbying, French President Jacques Chirac called several nations with council seats.
"I've spoken to numerous foreign leaders and can see that this view is widely shared," he said on Friday.
"There is still an alternative to war," Chirac said, voicing the widespread skepticism Europeans feels toward any war, doubts shared by China and Russia and Germany.
French Foreign minister Dominique de Villepin, who attended Powell's briefing in New York on Wednesday had been was even more adamant.
In a private session among European foreign ministers, he was reported to have lashed out at the foreign ministers of Britain and Spain, Jack Straw and Ana Palacio, for "dividing Europe" by allegedly organizing letters supporting the U.S. position. Also attending that session were German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer and Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou, whose country holds the European Union presidency.
At a luncheon among all 15 council members, Palacio among others promptly rejected de Villepin's proposals to strengthen weapons inspections by adding more inspectors, surveillance and regional offices, participants said. The French minister also had a private session with Powell but grim-faced U.S. officials would not reveal its contents.
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