Leaders in war crisis meeting

US President George Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair will hold a crisis meeting tomorrowok in an effort to convince the UN to back a war on Iraq.

They will join Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar in the Azores as hopes fade for approval of a UN resolution.

And in an effort to secure support from the Middle East, President Bush and Mr Blair said a new “road map” to peace in the region could lead to a comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict by 2005.

Speaking outside the White House yesterday, President Bush said America would publish its peace plan when Mahmoud Abbas became prime minister of the Palestinian Authority under President Yasser Arafat.

From Downing Street, Mr Blair said: “We are right to focus on Saddam Hussein and his weapons of mass destruction but we must put equal focus on the people whose lives are being devastated by the lack of progress in the Middle East peace process.”

Yesterday’s Azores summit announcement came as the US sent submarines to join about a dozen warships moving into the Gulf region.

The shift from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea and neighbouring waters would let US ships launch Tomahawk cruise missiles on a path to Iraq that would not fly over Turkey.

The US and Britain now have 250,000 troops in the Gulf region, ready for a showdown with Iraq over its alleged weapons of mass destruction. The Pentagon has also deployed B-2 stealth bombers to assist in any possible war.

At the UN, several Security Council members said they hoped the summit would provide a peaceful compromise.

“If it could in any way contribute to (getting) a consensus on the council, we would welcome it,” said Pakistan’s ambassador, Munir Akram.

Meanwhile, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said the Dáil would have to be recalled if there was an attack on Iraq in the coming days.

Mr Ahern, who completed his two-day visit to Washington yesterday, said the Government’s position would have to be debated in the Dáil once the war began.

But he kept his options open by insisting no decision had been made on the use of Shannon Airport.

“We said we’d recall the Dáil if a UN resolution is agreed, or if it wasn’t, so that still stands,” he said.

“I spelled out the historic position [of Shannon] yesterday, I spelled out what other countries in Europe are doing and I said we’d discuss this in the Cabinet and the Dáil whenever we have a clear position.”

While his comments this week on other countries’ plans to allow the US to use their airports were seen by many as his clearest signal yet that he intends to keep Shannon open, he insisted yesterday nothing had been cast in stone.

“We have not made a decision on that, we’ve discussed it, but it’s a matter to be discussed and decided upon,” Mr Ahern said.