Last diplomatic window, says US

WASHINGTON - The tempo of United States diplomacy aimed at forcing Baghdad's full compliance on banned weapons accelerated yesterday with talks on a possible deadline for Iraqi disarmament.

As thousands of US troops poured into the Gulf region, Administration officials said Bush and his top aides were opening a final "diplomatic window" with allies in a last-ditch attempt to avert a seemingly inevitable war with Iraq.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who discussed a possible deadline with President George W. Bush overnight, has said US transport planes bound for the Gulf can use military bases in Italy for stopovers and refuelling.

Later today Bush meets British Prime Minister Tony Blair, his strongest supporter on Iraq, at Camp David.

"They will discuss the next steps to take in the face of Iraq's failure to date to disarm and comply with United Nations resolution 1441," said White House National Security Council spokesman Sean McCormack.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer predicted "an uptick in the tempo" of diplomacy with an increase in meetings and phone calls by Bush in the coming days and weeks.

A major element of the diplomatic flurry will be US Secretary of State Colin Powell's appearance before the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday where Bush said he would lay out intelligence showing Saddam has been concealing weapons of mass destruction and consorting with terror groups, including Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda Islamic extremist network.

Powell will take along satellite photos to support his case, USA Today reported yesterday.

Intelligence officials said the satellite images showed the Iraqi Government was cleaning up suspected weapons sites and that it might possess mobile weapons labs, the newspaper reported.

It quoted Administration sources as saying that the photos Powell could display included satellite images of tractor trailers with unusually large roof-mounted air vents, indicating they could be mobile bioweapons labs.

There are also overhead photos of Iraqis conducting apparent cleanup operations and operating bulldozers at suspected weapons sites before the arrival of UN weapons inspectors.

The White House diplomatic strategy showed some early signs of success as key allies came to Washington's defence in the showdown with Iraq. Canadian Foreign Minister Bill Graham said in Ottawa yesterday that Baghdad had only a few weeks to comply fully with UN resolutions or face action.

"The Iraqis are on notice. They have probably till February 14 before a decision will have to be made about bringing them into conformity with their international obligations," he said.

And newspapers across Europe published a letter from prime ministers of eight European nations declaring solidarity with the Bush Administration.

On the list were Italy, Portugal, Poland, Denmark, Hungary, the Czech Republic and council members Britain and Spain.

In other events yesterday the UN Security Council stuck to its diplomatic guns, with most hoping war could be averted or delayed by allowing weapons inspectors more time.

After hours of closed-door debate France, Russia and China - who all have veto power - want more time. So do Germany, Mexico, Chile, Guinea, Cameroon, Syria, Angola and Pakistan.

Of the nations that spoke only Bulgaria and Spain supported the tough US-British stance.

* Germany, a leading opponent of any use of force, said it feared diplomacy might not avert war.

"I am worried whether we will succeed in avoiding a war in Iraq," Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder told a conference.

* Continuing a war of words, Saddam vowed to "break the neck" of the US.

In a televised meeting with military leaders he said: "If they believe their illusion [and attack Iraq], by God America will be hurt. It is not in the interest of American people to suffer such harm on it [US], on its reputation and on its economy around the globe."

* An Iraqi opposition source told Reuters yesterday that the US had moved some forces into northern Iraq and the Pentagon declined to deny the report. The source said three US transport planes landed on Wednesday in the Harir airfield near the Kurdish-run town of Shaqlawa.

US troops unloaded containers from the planes and started construction at a site near the airfield.

* Turkey's armed forces said they were building up military supplies near the Iraqi border but a Turkish role in any conflict was not certain.

- REUTERS

Herald feature: Iraq

January 30, 2003:
George Bush's State of the Union speech

January 28, 2003: