UN security council still divided on Iraq

The five permanent members of the UN Security Council remain divided on Iraq, despite US President George Bush’s call for a quick resolution.

Bush has said the United Nations must authorise the use of force if Saddam Hussein fails to comply with its weapons inspectors.

The permanent members met last night, with the US and Britain demanding a green light to attack if Baghdad blocks inspections again, and France, Russia and China insisting Saddam should first be given a chance to cooperate.

“We are making progress,” a US official said after the meeting.

But Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Sergey Lavrov, said only: “We will meet again when we know what we are going to discuss.”

Before the meeting, Britain’s UN Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock said, “There is no piece of paper being put down in the council at this moment and I would suggest to you there may not be for a few days yet.”

Some diplomats suggested America was focusing on first getting the US Congress to approve a resolution authorising Bush to use force against Iraq.

The administration hopes the resolution will be approved later this week.

“I think we will then see some movement toward completing the business here,” Greenstock said.

Colombia’s UN Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso, an elected council member, said he believes negotiations at the United Nations will “speed up” after Congress adopts a resolution.

“I understand indirectly that there is not a particular time pressure on this, that a lot of work is going on between capitals,” said Ireland’s UN Ambassador Richard Ryan, also an elected council member.

“There is the rumble of distant artillery and that is good. We as an elected member are very strong on the unity of the council, and that there is a full council involvement,” he said.

“But at this point we see the utility and the pragmatism of the permanent members trying to hammer out common positions on some of the more difficult issues at stake here.”

The most contentious issue is authorisation for the use of force, a key US demand. France has countered with a rival draft that would give Iraq a chance to cooperate with inspectors.

But it also warns that “any serious failure by Iraq to comply with its obligations” would lead to an immediate Security Council meeting to “consider any measure to ensure full compliance”.

Chinese Prime Minister Zhu Rongji has expressed support for the French proposal.

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Fedotov said any new resolution must not provide for the automatic use of force and must not contain tough measures that Baghdad could not accept.

He also repeated Russia’s position that inspectors should return to Iraq as soon as possible.

But Prime Minister Tony Blair, backing Bush, said “the Iraqi regime must recognise that the will of the UN has to be obeyed.”