Bush 'fails to convince security council'

Key members of the UN Security Council say the United States has so far failed to convince them that time has run out for a peaceful resolution to the crisis with Iraq.

At a crucial council meeting last night, one day after President George Bush’s State of the Union address, 11 of the 15 members supported giving more time to weapons inspectors to pursue Iraq’s peaceful disarmament, council diplomats said.

France, Russia and China, who all have veto power, want more time, as well as Germany, Mexico, Chile, Guinea, Cameroon, Syria, Angola and Pakistan

Only Bulgaria and Spain backed the US and Britain in focusing on Iraq’s failures rather than continued inspections.

In Washington, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said diplomacy was in its “final phase”.

Secretary of State Colin Powell said the United States would try to help find a haven for Saddam Hussein, his family and close aides if he would agree to go into exile.

“That would be one way to try to avoid war,” Powell, who will address the Security Council next Wednesday, said at a news conference.

However, State Department officials said exile for Saddam was not under serious consideration.

Saddam, in remarks televised in Iraq, said his country “has huge capabilities” and is ready to face a US attack, “destroy it and defeat it”.

“When faced with an attack, we always put in our calculation the worst case scenario and we build our tactics on that,” the Iraqi leader told military commanders.

At the Security Council meeting yesterday, Britain remained squarely in Washington’s camp.

“There are members of the council who are asking for time, but it isn’t a matter of time. It’s a matter of whether Iraq realises that the game is up, or whether it is trying to keep the inspectors at bay,” British Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock said during a break in the closed door meeting.

US diplomats had hoped the meeting would signal increased international support for military action in Iraq. But neither the largely negative reports from weapons inspectors this week nor Bush’s address altered the positions of some of America’s key allies, including France.

“The majority of the council thinks we should continue inspections,” said French Ambassador Jean-Marc de la Sabliere. “This is what they think today, and I think it is important to say so.”

Russian Ambassador Sergey Lavrov said Russia wanted ”undeniable proof” that Iraq was rearming and he dismissed reports that Moscow was shifting to a more pro-American stance.

Still, US Ambassador John Negroponte warned that the ”the time for decision-making is fast approaching.”

He said the United States would conduct intense negotiations, both at the United Nations and between capitals, ahead of the special council meeting on February 5 when Powell is expected to present evidence of Iraq’s secret weapons programs and links to terrorist groups.

Council diplomats said the possibility of a second resolution paving the way toward war was being widely discussed.

The most likely scenario would set a relatively short deadline for Baghdad to meet certain steps to avert war, the diplomats said.

Meanwhile, in a letter published in the Wall Street Journal today, Prime Minister Tony Blair and the leaders of Spain, Italy, Portugal, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland and Denmark, praised the “bravery and generosity of America” in ensuring peace in Europe. And they made a veiled attack on current dissidents France and Germany.

The letter highlighted divisions among European allies – among them key council members unswayed by the reports and Bush’s address.

German Ambassador Gunter Pleuger said inspectors should be given “a realistic opportunity to discharge their mandate. Let us not put aside an instrument we only recently sharpened”.

Iraq’s UN Ambassador Mohammed Al-Douri dismissed Bush’s allegations as “lies” and said his government would fully cooperate with inspectors to show “that these baseless allegations are nothing but fabrications”.

In a seven-page letter to the United Nations, Iraq disputed much of the inspectors’ claims that Baghdad had placed obstacles in their way and was hiding relevant information.