United Nations, Mar 12: Canada has proposed a three-week ultimatum to Iraq to demonstrate that it is conclusively complying with the UN Security Council demands on disarmament and cooperating on substance with weapons inspectors or face possible war. Should Iraq comply with the tasks set, then another deadline would be fixed for further tasks and the process would go on until Baghdad is completely disarmed of it weapons of mass destruction, it said. The proposal, which was commended to council by Canadian ambassador Paul Heinbecker during debate on Iraq, would authorise the use of force unless the council concludes, on the basis of inspectors' report that Iraq is complying. The proposal offered as compromise between the extreme and apparently irreconcilable positions taken by the United States and France has the authorisation to use of force if Iraq fails to comply as one of the basic elements.
France so far has maintained that it would veto any resolution which gives ultimatum to Iraq and acceptance of the Canadian proposal would require a fundamental change in position taken by Paris.
The Canadian proposal gives more time to Iraq to comply than the US-British-Spanish resolution, which sets March 17 as the deadline. But it does not meet the demand of the French who want inspections to continue without any deadline. The new proposal show a change in Canada's position which earlier proposed setting March 28 as the deadline for Iraq to comply but then another resolution was needed to authorise use of force.
Bureau Reporter