Mixed report from Blix widens UN rift

A MIXED report from UN chief weapons inspector Hans Blix yesterday left the major powers more divided than ever on US plans to launch a war against Iraq within a short time.

Mr Blix told a tense Security Council that Iraq's move to begin destroying its al-Samoud 2 missiles constituted "a substantial measure of disarmament" but criticised the rate at which Iraq has handed over documents on prohibited chemical and biological systems.

The report came amid a bitter confrontation between the US and its allies, who seem determined to remove Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, and France, Germany, Russia and China who are equally firm in opposing military action.

In a stark warning on Thursday, President George W Bush said Washington would push the Security Council for a vote within days but the US was ready to go to war even if it could not push through the resolution.

But going to war without UN approval would be certain to stoke an already powerful anti-war movement around the world, intensify anti-American sentiment and could shake the political support of important allies, including British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said he found it "incomprehensible" that the world community could abandon peaceful efforts to disarm Iraq and opt for a war that would bring death and destruction to thousands of "innocent people".

"Peaceful disarmament is possible and there is a real alternative to war," he said.

But US Secretary of State Colin Powell dismissed Mr Blix's talk of increased Iraqi cooperation, saying he still found "a catalogue of noncompliance" by Baghdad.

With the US so far unable to round up the nine votes needed in the Security Council to pass its resolution, Britain floated the idea of changing the text in a bid to attract more support.

A "no" vote by any one of France, China and Russia in the council would kill the resolution.

The British proposal, now backed by Washington, would give Baghdad a short time until March 17 to cooperate fully or face war.

But Mr Blix said it would take months for Iraq to disarm, even if it decided to cooperate wholeheartedly.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told Mr Bush hours ahead of the UN debate that Moscow was determined to press for a diplomatic solution.

So far, Washington has public commitments from only Britain, Spain and Bulgaria while five nations are opposed and six remain publicly uncommitted.

Mr Bush has dismissed Iraq's destruction of some banned missiles as a charade and reiterated he could launch a war without UN approval.

"When it comes to our security, we really don't need anybody's permission," he said on Thursday.