U.S. Secretary Colin Powell said Friday that he would return to Washington and consult with President George W. Bush and others and make a decision "in the not too distant future" on a new resolution on Iraq. Later, in an interview with CNN, he said the Iraq issue would be decided within "weeks."
However, major powers rebuffed the United States in the Security Council on Friday and insisted on more time for weapons inspections.
The differences between the council powers were so serious that a planned meeting of the five veto-holding members was canceled. French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin caught the United States by surprise when he called for another ministerial-level council meeting on March 14.
Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said the mid-March proposal would push back the possibility of war, but Powell said it was too early to schedule such a meeting. U.S. officials noted that another report from Blix is due on March 1.
De Villepin told The Associated Press that Paris wouldn't support a U.N. resolution authorizing war. China and Russia, also with the power to veto resolutions, pressed for more inspections and threw their support behind France.
"Only when we go along the line of political settlement can we truly live up to the trust and hope the international community places in the Security Council," Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan said.
On his part, Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told CNN after the Security Council meeting that he needs another six more months of inspections. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
