Foreign ministers oppose resolution
Powell to hear weapons report at U.N.
Wednesday, March 5, 2003 Posted: 10:59 AM EST (1559 GMT)
French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin, left, has joined Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, right, and German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer in Paris, to issue a joint statement in support of inspections.
PARIS (CNN) -- France, Russia and Germany "will not allow" a draft U.N. Security Council resolution that would authorize the use of force against Iraq -- but they also say that U.N. inspections in Iraq cannot go on indefinitely, the countries' foreign ministers said in a joint statement Wednesday.
The ministers' statement comes as Secretary of State Colin Powell plans to attend Friday's meeting of the U.N. Security Council to hear weapons inspectors Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei give their latest reports on Iraq, a senior State Department official said.
Powell has been engaged in high-stakes diplomacy in recent days to secure at least nine out of 15 council votes necessary to pass the resolution.
At Wednesday's news conference in Paris, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said the three nations "will not allow a resolution to pass that authorizes resorting to force." De Villepin appeared with Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer. (Full story)
De Villepin said that the inspection regime is working and inspectors should be given more time.
Russia and France, as permanent members of the Security Council, have the power to veto the resolution and have warned they might use it.
In an interview Tuesday with the BBC World Service, Ivanov said Moscow would not support the resolution and would not abstain from the vote. (Full story)
The new resolution, proposed by the United States, Britain and Spain, would declare that Iraq is not in compliance with previous Security Council resolutions. (Full story)
Student protests in U.S.
On Wednesday, students from more than 230 colleges and high schools were expected to participate in "Books Not Bombs," a countrywide campus war protest put on by the National Youth and Student Peace Coalition.
It's not known how many students will participate in the daylong strike -- or to what degree they'll take part -- but organizers said they expect a wide range of activities for a diverse group of students.
Max Sussman, 20, has helped organize a daylong teach-in at the University of Michigan, where he is a sophomore. There will also be a rally at noon, which is scheduled to last an hour.
More than 300 students in Ann Arbor have signed Sussman's Anti-War Action pledge vowing some sort of participation.
"If people feel like they can attend one talk but they have one exam to take, then we consider them a participant," he said.
Pope urges fast for peace
Pope John Paul II called on the faithful of all religions to pray for peace on Wednesday -- Ash Wednesday, the traditional day of fasting at the beginning of the 40-day Lenten period of penitence for Christians.
The 82-year-old pope, who has been a vocal advocate for peace, made the call as his personal envoy prepared to meet with President Bush, carrying John Paul's message that there is no justification at present for war with Iraq.
"As we begin our Lenten journey this year, we cannot ignore the tense international situation," the pope said at the Vatican. "There must be, on everyone's part, an aware acceptance of responsibilities and a common effort to avoid another dramatic conflict for mankind."
In his efforts to avert a war, John Paul has met with three of Bush's chief supporters, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, as well as U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz.
He also sent Cardinal Roger Etchegaray to Baghdad for a meeting with top Iraqi officials -- including President Saddam Hussein -- and Cardinal Pio Laghi to Washington for Wednesday's meeting with Bush.
The White House said Tuesday the president "looks forward to receiving and greeting" the pope's emissary, a friend of the Bush family and former Vatican ambassador to the United States. (Full story)
CNN.com writer Bryan Long contributed to this report. For latest developments, see CNN.com's Iraq Tracker.
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