Will of UN cannot be ignored

The discussions between President George W Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair at Camp David fulfilled the expectation that they would not produce any solace for those who may still hope for the avoidance of a full-blown war in Iraq.

The American administration's stubborn determination to press ahead with its own agenda, despite serious reservations abroad and at home, meant the talks merely concerned the question of setting the deadline for war against a recalcitrant Saddam Hussein.

The premise on which Mr Bush predicates his argument for the prospect of a military intervention in Iraq still remains unproven, a stance backed by the European Parliament.