LONDON, Feb 26: Nearly 200 members of parliament defied British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s hawkish Iraq stance on Wednesday, saying that the case for war had not been proven.

The government put forward a motion asking parliament for backing for UN efforts to disarm Iraq. It did not mention the possibility of war which could follow within weeks.

But 199 MPs backed an amendment to that motion which stated the case for war is as yet unproven.

Embarrassingly for Mr Blair, most of them came from his ruling Labour Party.

With the breakdown of votes still being tallied, one Labour MP said 120 or more of his party allies had defied their leader, more than a quarter of the total in parliament, dwarfing any previous rebellion against Mr Blair.

Tony Blair’s huge parliamentary majority and the support of most opposition Conservatives ensured he won the vote by 393 to 199.

But the scale of the revolt far exceeded expectations and will add to the impression of a leader standing dangerously out on a limb with opinion polls showing most Britons would not support a new Gulf war.

A million people took to the streets of London this month for an anti-war rally, while recent polls show Mr Blair’s approval rating has plunged.

With the revolt of 200 members of parliament — more than half from within the ruling Labour Party — defied Blair’s hawkish stance and staunch support for Bush, saying the case for war had not been proven.

The government put forward a motion asking parliament for backing for UN efforts to disarm Iraq, without mentioning the possibility of war. But 199 MPs backed an amendment stating the case for war was as yet unproven.

Blair’s huge parliamentary majority and the support of most opposition Conservatives ensured he won the vote easily. But the scale of the revolt added to the impression of a leader standing dangerously out on a limb.

Blair is betting that political and public opinion will come round if the Security Council passes a new resolution that Britain circulated this week with the United States and Spain, saying Baghdad has missed a “final opportunity” to disarm peacefully.

So far, only four of the nine votes needed for the new resolution to pass in the 15-strong Council are assured. China, France or Russia could veto even a majority decision.

A US administration official in Moscow said Washington doubted whether Russia or China would cast a veto.

Washington and London would like approval for the draft by mid-March — rising summer temperatures mean US generals would rather fight sooner than later. Blair told parliament he thought the resolution would gain the required support.

PUTIN, SCHROEDER: German Chancellor Helmut Schroeder met Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday as part of a diplomatic drive by Berlin and Moscow to head off conflict.—Reuters