US: The US stepped up pressure yesterday on UN Security Council members for a tough new resolution on Iraq. Washington wants the five permanent members to agree on a draft resolution by this weekend, despite opposition from Russia and Arab countries.
At the same time, the US pressed forward with a military build-up in the Middle East. The commander of American forces in the Persian Gulf, Gen Tommy Franks, has arrived in Qatar for talks about the rapidly expanding US presence in the region.
After meeting US President, Mr Bush, in the White House, Congress leaders predicted yesterday that the House and Senate would vote soon on a resolution authorising US action against Iraq. Mr Bush said that a draft resolution would be submitted to Congress within days.
The Defence Secretary, Mr Donald Rumsfeld, told Congress yesterday that in Iraq "the goal isn't inspections, the goal is disarmament". He predicted that war would take more than just air strikes, and would require troops on the ground to disarm weapons sites.
Mr Rumsfeld's testimony to the House Armed Services Committee was briefly interrupted by two women protesters who held up banners and chanted: "Inspections not war" UN diplomats acknowledged that there was some sympathy for the US position among the 10 elected members of the Security Council, and that UN Secretary General Mr Kofi Annan took the view that "we have not got the Americans to come in on the basis of business as usual". Mr Annan was due last night to meet the Iraqi Foreign Minister, Mr Naji Sabri, to discuss the crisis.
The chief UN weapons inspector, Dr Hans Blix, will brief the 15-member Security Council today on his meeting with Iraqi experts on Tuesday, following Baghdad's promise to allow the unconditional return of UN inspectors.
Russia has argued that a new resolution is not necessary as Resolution 1284 passed in 1998 provides for weapons inspectors to return under tough new conditions. It gives inspectors 60 days to draw up a list of weapons sites and foresees the ending of sanctions if, after a further 120 days, Iraq has co-operated in all respects with disarmament.
Without a new resolution authorising force, the US could fall back on Resolution 678 passed in 1990, diplomatic sources said. This authorised member-states to "use all necessary measures" to implement not just an earlier resolution demanding Iraq's withdrawal from Kuwait but "all subsequent relevant resolutions".
The 10 security members without a veto, including Ireland, will wait to see a draft of any new resolution before taking a position, diplomats said.
Referring to council resolutions on the Middle East ignored by Israel, an Irish diplomat said yesterday that Mr Cowen was the only one of the EU Foreign Ministers to "put his hand up" at a meeting with UN Secretary of State Mr Colin Powell last week to say that the US should be consistent regarding enforcement of resolutions.