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http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/archive/7-3-19103-2-2-53.html The Herald (Scotland) March 6, 2003 I will defy multiple vetoes at the UN, says Blair MICHAEL SETTLE TONY Blair last night toughened his stance on Iraq as British diplomats attempted to gather enough international support at the UN to present Saddam Hussein with a final 72-hour deadline to disarm or face war. On the eve of today's crucial report from Hans Blix, the chief weapons inspector, the prime minister gave his strongest signal yet that he would brook no opposition to war in the Security Council. Having already stated he would set his face against one council member using an "unreasonable veto" to block a second resolution, he went further and, during an interview with the MTV music channel, said he would still be willing to go to war "if there was a veto applied by one of the countries with a veto, or by countries that I thought were applying the veto unreasonably". China yesterday joined fellow veto-holders France and Russia to declare it was against a military conflict. As it emerged that US warplanes have more than doubled patrols over Iraqi no-fly zones, George W Bush accused Saddam of trying to deceive UN weapons inspectors and must be held accountable by America's allies. "I will not leave the American people at the mercy of the Iraqi dictator and his weapons," Mr Bush said. At a news conference early this morning, Mr Bush said the issue will come to a head within a matter of days as the UN Security Council decides whether to approve a US-backed resolution authorising force. Mr Bush said Saddam was stalling. "He's trying to buy time. I can understand why. He's been successful for 12 years," the president said. He said Saddam was trying to mislead the world by destroying a few of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction while building others. "These are not the actions of a regime that is disarming. These are the actions of a regime engaged in a willful charade," the president said. "Token gestures are not acceptable." Mr Bush said he would act against Saddam regardless of whether other nations were willing to support the US move. Jack Straw, foreign secretary, flew into New York to head the UK's diplomatic push for the hearts and minds of the so-called "swing six", five of which would provide Britain and America with the majority of nine they need - barring vetoes - to win a second resolution. Britain is still intent on tabling such a motion next week. It looks certain to include an ultimatum with a deadline as short as 72 hours. Several undecided council nations, including Chile and Pakistan, are said to have expressed interest in a resolution that gave Iraq a clear and final window for disarmament. The key element is just how much more time to give Saddam. The new resolution is set to be tabled before next Friday. American television networks have been told to put aside prime airtime in the middle of next week for a possible presidential address. In his MTV interview, Mr Blair emphasised the lack of time now available to Iraq. Pointing out there were 300,000 troops in the Gulf, he said: "We can't keep those people down there forever." At 3pm today, Dr Blix is due to present a report likely to contain elements that both the pro and anti-war lobbies will use to bolster their arguments. It could include a document graphically listing the weapons Saddam has failed to disarm. Mr Straw said he had already read the 167-page dossier, which he described as a "shocking indictment" of the Iraqi dictator's record of deception and deceit. __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more http://taxes.yahoo.com/ --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.bdn7KI.YXJjaGl2 Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] TOPICA - Start your own email discussion group. FREE! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/create/index2.html ==^================================================================
