Blow for US as China says no to war in Iraq

THE United States ran into more opposition at home and abroad yesterday as it sought United Nations authority to wage war against Iraq.

With 250,000 troops poised to attack Iraq as soon as President George W Bush gives the order, the US has been trying to round up the nine votes needed in the UN Security Council to pass a resolution endorsing military action.

So far it only has four certain votes. Britain, which has been Washington’s closest ally, said it was ready to fine-tune the resolution as a way of rounding up a Security Council majority but not to change it substantively.

Diplomats said Britain was floating a proposal at the council which would give Iraq a short deadline, less than a week, to show it has no weapons of mass destruction after a resolution authorising war is adopted.

China yesterday joined France, Russia and Germany in vowing to block the draft resolution authorising war.

“China endorses and supports their joint statement,” Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan said.

A “no” vote from Russia, China or France, which have veto power in the Security Council, would automatically kill the resolution. Six other nations on the 15-member council are uncommitted and Washington has made no public progress in shifting any of them off the fence.

The US wants a vote by the end of next week but Secretary of State Colin Powell made it clear on Wednesday it is ready to launch war with or without UN approval.

Foreign ministers from all the major players are due to meet at the UN today to hear the latest update from weapons inspectors. But the report was unlikely to shift positions.

It was expected to offer ammunition to both sides by stating that Iraqi co-operation has improved but is still insufficient.

But Mr Bush’s domestic consensus around the war showed signs of fraying in the face of an international anti-war movement that has mobilised millions of people to oppose it.

Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle said yesterday an invasion would be premature and the administration had failed diplomatically to build international support for war.

Sen Daschle said he believed “military invasion today would be premature. My preference would be that we not concede failure diplomatically. I just fail to concede that war is inevitable”.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair signalled yesterday he would be prepared to go to war even if it was vetoed.

“If there was a veto applied by one of the countries ... or by countries that I thought were applying the veto unreasonably then in those circumstances I would,” Mr Blair said when asked if he would go to war without a UN mandate.

However, he said in a debate to be screened on MTV tonight: “I still believe we will get that second resolution.”

In Baghdad, a defiant Saddam said Mr Bush would be committing an act of “absolute stupidity” if he attacked.