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White House pushes on with new U.N. resolutionIraq 'considers' destroying missiles
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- As U.S. officials worked to lay the groundwork for a new U.N. resolution on Iraq, Baghdad said it would consider following the weapons inspectors' demand that it destroy a large number of missiles. Inspectors have said the Al Samoud 2 missiles have a range of more than 93 miles [150 kilometers], in violation of U.N. rules imposed after the Gulf War. Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix, in a letter Friday, demanded that Iraq begin destroying the missiles and their engines by March 1. Iraq denied the inspectors' claim, insisting the missiles' guidance systems lower their range. But Gen. Hossam Amin, head of Iraq's National Monitoring Directorate, said Sunday that Blix's demand was receiving "deep consideration." "We are serious in investigating this issue," he said, adding, "We hope this will be resolved without American or British intervention." Destruction of the missiles could signal increased cooperation from Baghdad, pleasing inspectors and further challenging the efforts of the United States and Britain to gain support for possible military action. British Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon warned Monday of the dangers of delaying military action against Iraq if Baghdad fails to disarm. "We could be condemned on a massive scale for taking an abdication of responsibility," Hoon said during a three-day visit to key allies in the Gulf region. (Full story) Saddam defiantMeanwhile, a defiant Saddam Hussein said the United States would not humiliate his country. In a meeting with a Lebanese envoy broadcast on Iraqi television, Saddam said, "Iraqis are not easy to deal with when they're angry. "They're angry now because their enemy did not even show the minimum of chivalry and manliness. The Americans can damage and destroy buildings and installations, but they will not be able to humiliate Iraq." Meanwhile, the United States expects the wording of the new resolution to be ready by Monday or Tuesday, and would like to see it put to a vote in the U.N. Security Council during the week beginning March 10, a senior administration official told CNN. Administration officials expressed confidence they can get the nine votes -- with no vetoes -- needed to pass, even though three of the five veto-wielding permanent members say they want to give weapons inspectors more time to work in Iraq. France, Russia, and China have all expressed opposition to war. But even if they do not support the new resolution, they might abstain rather than veto. The Bush administration wants a vote on the issue within three weeks, a period that contains two milestones expected to prove critical to Iraq's future: The deadline for Iraq to begin destroying its Al Samoud 2 missiles and a March 7 report to the Security Council on the progress of the U.N. teams in Iraq by chief weapons inspector Hans Blix. Bush works the phonesPresident Bush returned to Washington on Sunday after spending the weekend at his ranch in Texas with Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar of Spain, one of 15 members of the Security Council and a strong supporter of the president's position on Iraq. Over the weekend, Bush also placed phone calls to the leaders of Mexico and Chile, both of which are rotating members of the Security Council, and to two key allies: British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Meanwhile, in Tokyo, Japan, Secretary of State Colin Powell said, "Time is running out for Iraq." Powell was meeting with Japanese officials about North Korea's nuclear weapons program. "We cannot sit by and idly let Iraq continue to thwart the will of the international community," Powell said. "The issue is not more inspectors. The issue is not more time for inspections. The issue is disarmament." (Full story) Although demonstrators have turned out in the millions in recent weeks to press government leaders not to use force in Iraq, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged the Iraqis not to misinterpret their message. "Everyone, including those who are marching in these demonstrations, want Iraq to disarm," he said in Ankara, Turkey. "They want Iraq to comply with U.N. resolutions, so they should not misread the public." The United States says Iraq is violating U.N. resolutions by refusing to fully account for its chemical, biological and nuclear weapons programs. Iraq insists it has no such weapons and has fully complied with the resolutions. As the military buildup proceeded, U.S. and Turkish officials were still trying to reach a final agreement to let U.S. troops move against Iraq from Turkish bases in exchange for a multibillion-dollar aid package. Washington has offered $6 billion in grants, or a substantially larger amount if Turkey instead chooses loans. Turkey could also choose a combination of grants and loans, a senior Turkish official told CNN. (Full story)
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