Bush threatens end-run around UN

3.00pm

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON - United States President George W Bush faced hardened resistance in the United Nations today to a war against Iraq and threatened to lead a coalition against Baghdad if the global body failed to back him.

Russia, China and France, all veto-wielding permanent UN Security Council members, toughened their stance against a new UN resolution proposed by Washington and backed by Britain that could pave the way for a possible US-led war against Iraq.

Washington and London insist that arms inspectors, who left Iraq in 1998, should not return until given sweeping powers by a new resolution.

But Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Saltanov said mention of automatic use of force in the draft was unacceptable. Moscow's position echoed that of France, which favours a two-step approach offering Iraq first the chance to co-operate on inspections.

China joined their chorus, calling for a political solution to the crisis.

Washington drew some comfort from the United Nations after it signalled on Thursday its arms inspectors would delay their initial inspections in Iraq until the Security Council completed work on the new resolution.

The inspectors had wanted to send advance teams to Baghdad on October 19. But after briefing the Security Council, they made clear they would hold off if the council did not adopt a resolution before then as Washington and London want.

"We hope it wouldn't be a long delay and we are ready to go at the earliest practical opportunity," Hans Blix, the inspector in charge of accounting for Iraq's chemical, biological and ballistic arms, told reporters.

Bush said he would lead a coalition against President Saddam Hussein if the Iraqi leader failed to surrender his arsenals.

"The choice is up to the United Nations to show its resolve. The choice is up to Saddam Hussein to fulfill his word, and if neither of them acts, the United States in deliberate fashion will lead a coalition to take away the world's worst weapons from one of the world's worst leaders," Bush said.

The US president has demanded Iraq dismantle its weapons of mass destruction programmes and submit to unrestricted arms inspections.

After Thursday's UN council meeting, James Cunningham, the deputy US ambassador, said there was "an understanding in the council that there is an important debate under way, and that it would be desirable to have clarity about the outcome of that debate prior to the return of inspectors".

More efforts to reach agreement between the United States and the United Nations are expected on Friday when Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei, the director general of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, hold talks in Washington with US Secretary of State Colin Powell.

Under the US draft, Iraq has 30 days "prior to the beginning of inspections" to declare all aspects of its programmes to develop chemical, biological, nuclear and ballistic weapons.

Any "false statements or omissions" in Iraq's declaration would constitute a further "material breach" of its obligations and any UN member could use "all necessary means" against Baghdad -- a diplomatic euphemism for military action.

The US draft says the inspectors can interview anyone they wish, such as scientists and government officials, and take them and their families out of the country, if necessary. They can inspect anywhere, including Saddam's palace compounds without advance notice.

Inspectors would have the right to declare no-fly and no-drive exclusion zones on the ground or in the air.

Bush's ally in Europe, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, urged the international community to stop sending "mixed signals" and demanded that Saddam open up his sprawling palaces to scrutiny by weapons inspectors.

"It is no good allowing inspectors access to 99 per cent of Iraq if the weapons of mass destruction are actually located and stored ... in the remaining 1 per cent," said Blair.

The United States also found an ally in Spain. Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, whose country is due to take up its seat as a rotating member of the Security Council in January, said the council should pass the tough US proposal.

Nato aspirant Bulgaria offered a military base and use of its airspace to attack Iraq. Romania made a similar offer.

Jordan, a US ally that has good relations with its neighbour Iraq, urged Baghdad to accept any resolution the Security Council adopted in order to avoid war.

US and British warplanes attacked an air defence command centre in a "no-fly" zone in southern Iraq on Thursday after Iraq tried to shoot down an aircraft dropping warning leaflets in the area, the Pentagon said.

In Baghdad, an Iraqi military spokesman said five civilians had been killed in an air attack on civilian installations in the south.

The Pentagon said it fired in response to attempts to shoot shoot down coalition aircraft that dropped 120,000 leaflets warning the Iraqi military against continuing to fire missiles and artillery at US and British jets patrolling no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq.

"The destruction experienced by your colleagues in other air defense locations is a response to your continuing aggression toward planes of the coalition forces," said a sample leaflet released by the Pentagon. "You could be next."

There have been 46 strikes this year by US and British aircraft policing two no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq set up after the 1991 Gulf War. Thirty-six of those have come in the southern zone.

The frequency of the airstrikes against Iraq has fluctuated over the decade since the Gulf War, but they have increased sharply in recent months.

- REUTERS

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