France’s threat to deploy its UN veto is making war with Iraq more — not less — likely by preventing the security council from enforcing its own decisions, says British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw.
In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, the foreign secretary expressed dismay at what he had earlier called President Jacques Chirac’s ”extraordinary position” in saying France would veto a second resolution ”whatever the circumstances”.
”Unfortunately, they appear to have made the decision not to enforce 1441,” he said. ”That renders it less likely that we get a peaceful outcome.”
He brushed aside any suggestion that war — possibly next week — would be illegal without a fresh resolution. He argued that if a resolution is lost then it does not exist — so the legal position reverts to resolution 1441 which threatens serious consequences if Iraq fails to comply with demands to disarm.
He also rejected Saddam’s latest offer to prove he has destroyed his elusive stocks of VX nerve agent. ”I have come to the dismal conclusion that for him it is really a game and it is trickling out the minimum concessions to buy more time.”
The foreign secretary told the Guardian that diplomacy could still produce a peaceful outcome, with the clock now running into next week.
The US said yesterday it was prepared to wait until next week for a UN vote on a final ultimatum to Iraq, but might opt not to ask for a vote at all, if a security council majority continues to elude Washington.
Only days after George Bush pledged to call for a vote, whether it might succeed or not, the administration said it would look at ”all the options”.
The White House representative, Ari Fleischer, de clared ”the end is coming into sight” as more than 250 000 US and British troops in the region carried out final preparations for an invasion. B-2 Stealth bombers, likely to carry out the first raids of the campaign, left their Missouri bases yesterday.
Hopes, too were fading last night for Britain’s resolution after the crucial six undecided nations questioned whether the relatively short deadlines outlined in the proposal were realistic or only an excuse for war.
”The British proposal is not still at the point at which … it satisfies our concerns,” said Chilean ambassador Gabriel Valdes.
Britain’s United Nations ambassador, Jeremy Greenstock, met the crucial six undecided nations in a private meeting in an attempt to salvage a compromise.
As Straw spoke, the French foreign minister, Dominique de Villepin, also appeared conciliatory in the face of US-led vituperation. France is still open to any option that could solve the current crisis, he said.
”We want a solution and we are looking for consensus within the security council. Everything must be tried to preserve the unity of the council and we are working towards that. France confirms its openness to seize all opportunities.”
But de Villepin reiterated that Paris will not cross its red line: any second resolution must not contain an ultimatum that could lead to military action against Iraq. That was not reasonable, he insisted.
London’s assault on the French position — ”poisonous” the No 10 spokesman said — continued at a White House briefing.
Ari Fleischer, the presidential representative said that France had rejected the British ”six tests” even before Baghdad had done so.
”France has said they reject the logic of ultimatums. France also looked at the British proposal and they rejected it before Iraq rejected it. If that’s not an unreasonable veto, what is?” he said.
In an attempt to woo Russia and the six swing states on the security council Straw had earlier dropped the demand that Saddam state on Arabic TV that he would disarm. But he would still have to make a statement admitting his guilt.
Straw spoke after a 70-minute weekly session of the Blair cabinet which rounded on the French.
Clare Short, the international development secretary, made a more conciliatory contribution, despite her weekend attack on Tony Blair’s ”reckless” conduct. She emerged to tell aides that she felt more positive about progress on the role of the UN and the prospects for the Middle East peace process.
Short gave the impression of rowing back from her weekend interview — telling BBC News she hopes the prime minister’s battle to win a UN vote succeeds.
Significantly, Gordon Brown, the chancellor and an ally of Short’s, took to the TV studios yesterday to back Blair’s position more energetically than at any time during the Iraqi crisis. – Guardian Unlimited Â