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US, Britain propose March 17 ultimatum for Iraq
United Nations, Mar 08: The United States, Britain and Spain has proposed a March 17 ultimatum for Iraq to obey disarmament demands or face war, but their UN draft resolution was far from commanding a majority and faced a possible triple veto.
United Nations, Mar 08: The United States, Britain and Spain has proposed a March 17 ultimatum for Iraq to obey disarmament demands or face war, but their UN draft resolution was far from commanding a majority and faced a possible triple veto.
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw announced the new resolution at a tense United Nations Security Council meeting. The text was circulated shortly afterwards and could come to a vote next Tuesday.
''Iraq will have failed to take the final opportunity unless on or before March 17, 2003, the council concludes that Iraq has demonstrated full, unconditional, immediate and active cooperation with its disarmament obligations,'' it said.
France, which has Security Council veto power, rejected the ultimatum minutes after straw spoke. Foreign minister Dominique de Villepin said, ''We will not accept a resolution that will lead to war. We would not accept any ultimatum.''
German foreign minister Joschka Fischer also rejected it, saying, ''This is an ultimatum which immediately leads to a military action.”
Prospects that the new resolution would pass the Security Council seemed slim. It would need the votes of nine of the 15 members and no vetoes to succeed. In addition to France, China and Russia also said that they were opposed to war and any of the three could kill the resolution by using their veto power.
The United States and its allies have more than 300,000 troops with more than 500 warplanes and dozens of warships ready to strike in a war to remove President Saddam Hussein and his government.
President George W Bush said on Thursday that he would press for a Security Council vote to be taken even if it seemed the resolution would be defeated or vetoed.
Bureau Report
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw announced the new resolution at a tense United Nations Security Council meeting. The text was circulated shortly afterwards and could come to a vote next Tuesday.
''Iraq will have failed to take the final opportunity unless on or before March 17, 2003, the council concludes that Iraq has demonstrated full, unconditional, immediate and active cooperation with its disarmament obligations,'' it said.
France, which has Security Council veto power, rejected the ultimatum minutes after straw spoke. Foreign minister Dominique de Villepin said, ''We will not accept a resolution that will lead to war. We would not accept any ultimatum.''
German foreign minister Joschka Fischer also rejected it, saying, ''This is an ultimatum which immediately leads to a military action.”
Prospects that the new resolution would pass the Security Council seemed slim. It would need the votes of nine of the 15 members and no vetoes to succeed. In addition to France, China and Russia also said that they were opposed to war and any of the three could kill the resolution by using their veto power.
The United States and its allies have more than 300,000 troops with more than 500 warplanes and dozens of warships ready to strike in a war to remove President Saddam Hussein and his government.
President George W Bush said on Thursday that he would press for a Security Council vote to be taken even if it seemed the resolution would be defeated or vetoed.
Bureau Report