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Politics : DON'T START THE WAR -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: GUSTAVE JAEGER who wrote (11299)	2/21/2003 4:32:21 AM
From: PartyTime	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 25898

Support for attack wavering, poll says Associated Press Washington ? A solid majority of Americans supports military action against Iraq but concern the United States doesn't have enough international support for such military action is growing, a new poll indicates. Nearly six in 10 Americans, 57 per cent, said the United States should seek a second UN resolution before attacking Iraq and about the same number, 58 per cent, said their country does not currently have enough international support for such an attack. The findings are in a poll released Thursday by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. Pew Research Center director Andrew Kohut said the most important findings of the poll are the debate in the United Nations, the report by UN weapons inspector Hans Blix and overseas peace protests "have affected public opinion." "The number of people who are basically backing support hasn't changed," Mr. Kohut said. "But concerns about the big qualification of international support have." General support for military action against Iraq was at 66 per cent but that tends to drop in polls when people are asked about attacking without allied backing. Polls show a majority approves of military action as long as the United States has the support of major allies. But recent events are raising public concerns about the need for international backing. The Pew poll found public sentiment shifting significantly between early February and after the United Nations heard from weapons inspector Blix. The poll found public opinion shifted away from quick military action on several questions. Those include whether the United States has enough international support, whether Iraq will disarm peacefully and whether UN inspectors have found proof Iraq is hiding weapons of mass destruction. Mr. Kohut said the poll suggests failing to secure backing from the United Nations and a broad alliance before attacking could mean the war effort would not have as much widespread public support in the long run. Six in 10 said they believe the weapons inspection efforts showed Iraq will not co-operate and cannot be peacefully disarmed. But the number of people who believe Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had any connection with terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 dropped from 66 per cent in October to 57 per cent now. The Pew poll of 1,254 adults conducted with the Council on Foreign Relations was conducted in waves Feb. 12-13 and Feb. 14-18. It has an error margin of plus or minus three percentage points. globeandmail.ca