An amended US-British-Spain resolution expected to be submitted to the Security Council soon, still seemed certain to be vetoed by France, Russia and possibly China. The United States and Britain hope for a vote on Friday, diplomats said.
However, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN, Munir Akram, said if the six conditions set by Britain in the amended resolution were presented “without an implicit threat of use of force then it had a chance” in the Council. An extension of deadline would be desirable, he added.
But most diplomats at the UN did not see any change in the US position on a deadline. The current date is March 17, but some countries are pushing for April 17. The Bush administration has expressed willingness to extend the deadline, but only by a week, at the most.
With nine votes needed for a majority and a vote expected by the end of the week, the new British proposals were aimed to win over the six uncommitted nations on the 15-member Security Council.
Most diplomats here said the six conditions included a demand that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein appeared on television to make a declaration that he had been concealing weapons of mass destruction, but had now made a “strategic decision” to disarm.
The conditions, set in the new amended resolution, also stipulate that Baghdad destroy “forthwith” remaining stocks of anthrax and permit 30 Iraqi scientists to travel to Cyprus for interviews by United Nations weapons instructors.
France and Russia have threatened to use their right of veto to prevent approval of a second resolution.
Following is a breakdown of the six demands which are likely to be included in the new resolution. They must be met within days, British officials said. These are: — (Saddam must) Make a public statement, to be broadcast in Iraq and outside, admitting he has weapons of mass destruction and will give them up; — Allow 30 Iraqi scientists to be interviewed outside Iraq with their families in tow; — Surrender stocks of anthrax and other biological and chemical agents which UN weapons inspectors said Iraq had in 1998, or produce documents to demonstrate what happened to them; — Pledge to destroy banned missiles; — Account for unmanned aerial vehicles, known as “drones”, which can spray chemical agents over wide areas; — Give a commitment to give up all mobile bio-production laboratories for destruction.
CLINTON: former US President Bill Clinton said on Wednesday that he thought an attack could be avoided if the United States backed a British resolution giving Iraq more time to disarm.
“The present British position is a good one,” said Mr Clinton at a convention.
“My view is this thing is going in the right direction.”
Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix would be the nonpolitical, impartial determining factor on the deadline, Clinton said, and he must say how much time is needed.
“I think there’s a chance that’s where our government could be,” Clinton said, speculating the Bush administration might go along with the British plan.
Clinton said he thought many Americans wanted Iraq to disarm and to “do it in a way that strengthens the world community”.