THE UN: The US and France engaged in day-long transatlantic diplomacy yesterday to try to remove a roadblock in the way of a UN Security Council resolution on disarming Iraq.
The 15-member Security Council began meeting yesterday afternoon to debate a tough resolution proposed last week by the US and Britain, but diplomats warned that negotiations could drag on until next week.
US Secretary of State Mr Colin Powell engaged in a flurry of telephone calls to French Foreign Minister Mr Dominique de Villepin as well as his Russian and British counterparts, with the exchanges focusing on one crucial paragraph of the 13-paragraph draft US-British resolution.
France objects that paragraph 4 is a trigger for war. It stipulates that false statements or ommissions by Iraq on disarmament, and failure by Iraq to comply and co-operate with the resolution, "shall constitute a further material breach of Iraq's obligations" .
The French complain that this would give the US a pretext for an immediate strike on Baghdad in the event of a perceived "material breach", and want it put instead in the context of paragraphs 11 and 12, which mandate the Security Council to convene immediately to consider the situation in the event of UN inspectors reporting non-compliance with arms inspections.
Paris has long argued that any military action against Iraq should be the subject of a second stage resolution at this stage.
This is "not flying" with the US, and France is trying to line up other council members behind a new wording to present to the US as the best agreement it will get from the Security Council, diplomatic sources reported yesterday.
Mr Powell made clear yesterday to European reporters that while the US supports a second Security Council meeting, war could happen without a second resolution. "Some say action requires a second resolution, but it could just be a second debate," said Mr Powell.
"Those who wish to do so will have the option of proposing a second resolution or not, and we will participate in that debate," he added.
Other Security Council members, including Ireland, are monitoring developments closely, aware that bilateral relations with the US and the future authority of the security council, are at stake in how they vote.
Mr Powell also spoke yesterday to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, who was expected to call French President Mr Jacques Chirac last night, a US State Department offficial.
"Kofi is trying to mediate this," the official said.
"It is in everyone's interests to get as much of a consensus on this as we can."
France is also unhappy with the US claim in Paragraph 1 that Iraq is in "material breach" of its obligations, arguing that Baghdad's new willingness to readmit inspectors means it is not in breach at this time, diplomatic sources said.
The resolution states that Iraq will face "serious consequences" as a result of continued violations - a phrase that could also trigger war.
It gives Baghdad seven days to accept the resolution, 30 days to provide a full inventory of weapons and 45 days to readmit inspectors with full access, backed by armed UN troops, to any site in Iraq at any time.
The US Congress has already authorised Mr Bush to make war on Iraq whenever he decides that diplomacy has failed.
White House spokesman Mr Ari Fleischer also yesterday flatly rejected Iraq's push for reporters to monitor UN weapons inspections if they resume.
"Once again, Iraq is attaching conditions to something in which they should have no say, no matter how meritorious the group of journalists that Iraq might have in mind," Mr Fleischer said.
(Additional reporting, AFP)