CRAWFORD (USA), Oct 25: US President George Bush said on Friday that he would reject any UN resolution that curtails his ability to take military action to disarm Iraq if the world body fails to do so.
“We won’t accept a resolution which prevents us from doing exactly what I have told the American people is going to happen, and that is if the UN won’t act, and if Saddam won’t disarm, we will lead a coalition to disarm him,” he told reporters after talks here with Chinese President Jiang Zemin.
Bush said he had asked the Chinese president to back a tough new UN resolution demanding Iraq give up its weapons programmes or face the consequences.
“China supports Iraq’s strict compliance with UN Security Council resolutions,” Bush told reporters after meeting Jiang at his Texas ranch. “And today ... I urged President Jiang to support a new Security Council resolution demanding Iraq fully disarm itself of weapons of mass destruction.”
The proposed US resolution gives UN arms inspectors far-reaching rights and privileges in ferreting out any weapons of mass destruction programs in Iraq.
It declares Iraq in “material breach” of UN resolutions and warns Iraq of “serious consequences” if it thwarts UN weapons inspections — language Russia and France fear the United States can interpret as sufficient for military action.
China, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council along with the United States, Russia, France and Britain, has the power of veto. Beijing has indicated it would abstain.
Bush said the resolution “must be one which does the job of holding (Iraqi President) Saddam Hussein to account”.
“That includes a vigorous, new and vibrant inspections regime, the purpose of which is disarm — not inspections for the sake of inspections,” Bush said. “Any resolution which will be effective must have — there will be — consequences.”
Bush has said if the United Nations does not take tough action to disarm Baghdad, the US and some of its allies will. Congress has passed a resolution authorizing Bush to use military force against Iraq if necessary.
The two leaders voiced concern about North Korea’s nuclear programme and agreed to work toward a peaceful resolution of the issue.
“We agreed that peace and stability in Northeast Asia must be maintained. Both sides will continue to work towards a nuclear free Korean peninsula and a peaceful resolution of this issue,” Bush said.
He said Jiang had made it clear “that China, like the United States, believes in a Korean peninsula without nuclear weapons.” He also announced that US Vice President Dick Cheney will travel to China next spring.
Jiang said China was “completely in the dark” about North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme, which US officials say has spawned one or two nuclear bombs.
BUSH KEPT WAITING: The Chinese president arrived half-an-hour late for the summit.
With no sign of Jiang and wife Wang Teping, the notoriously punctual Bush checked his watch impatiently but suggested that he did not mind the unseasonably cold and damp weather as much as the lost time.
“We could be fishing,” he said, US First Lady Laura Bush at his side as they awaited their guests at the “Prairie Chapel” ranch.
Still, the US president gave Jiang a warm welcome when his guests finally arrived, and a White House spokeswoman insisted that Bush was not offended.
“The president was very much looking forward to the meeting, and he was very pleased to welcome him to the ranch,” said Claire Buchan. No reason was given for the delay.
“How are you, sir?” Bush said as he shook hands with Jiang, and he kissed Mrs Wang on both cheeks. “Welcome to our home,” Mrs Bush said.
Minutes earlier, as Bush, Mrs Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell waited outside a ranch house for Jiang’s arrival, the president jokingly checked his watch and announced, “We could be fishing.”
Both Jiang and Bush are on their way to a weekend summit of Asian leaders in Los Cabos, Mexico.
North Korea’s admission that it has a secret nuclear weapons programmeme, which US officials say has spawned one or two nuclear bombs, figured to be a dominant theme at the Bush-Jiang talks. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Bush and Jiang sought “a common approach on how to convince North Korea to abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons”.
A senior Bush administration official said Bush discussed with Jiang potential “diplomatic, political and perhaps financial pressures on North Korea.”
Shortly before the two leaders met, North Korea’s ambassador to the United Nations said Pyongyang hoped to keep up contacts with the United States despite the dispute with Washington over its nuclear programme.
“We will always prefer negotiations,” Ambassador Pak Gil Yon told reporters at the United Nations when asked if there were any current plans for further negotiations.—Reuters/AFP