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United States Secretary of State Colin Powell, right, hugs Russia's Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, center, and China's Foreign Minister Jiaxuan Tang, left, prior to the Security Council high level meeting to remember the victims of Sept. 11
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Russia, Europe and key Arab states are increasing pressure on Iraq to readmit UN weapons inspectors to avert possible US-led military action. Russia gave no comfort to its former ally, saying it must obey UN resolutions or face the consequences but its comments fell short of supporting military action.
The European Union said Iraq could not be allowed to waste any more time before accepting the arms inspectors, whose task is to ensure the elimination of any Iraqi nuclear, chemical, biological and ballistic weapons programs.
Arab officials said Egypt and Jordan had pressed Iraq to allow a resumption of the inspections, which were halted just before a US-British bombing campaign in December 1998.
US President George W. Bush, in a blunt speech to the 190-nation General Assembly, on Thursday urged the United Nations to force Iraq to disarm, and said action was inevitable if Baghdad failed to do so.
He did not promise to wait for UN approval for any military action, but said he would work with the Security Council for the "necessary resolutions" to support US plans.
"Security Council resolutions are binding. Should Iraq refuse to cooperate with the Security Council, the Iraqi leadership will have to assume responsibility for all possible consequences," Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov told the Interfax news agency after talks with EU delegates.
He also told the Itar-Tass agency that US willingness to work with the United Nations "opens the possibility for joint action in seeking a political settlement".
US Secretary of State Colin Powell met the other four permanent Security Council members - Russia, Britain, France and China - to seek agreement on a Security Council resolution demanding that Iraq comply with UN disarmament demands.
"There was complete unanimity on getting the weapons inspectors back into Iraq," British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw told reporters after the permanent five nations met.
He said detailed talks would follow on drafting one or more resolutions on Iraq.
No conclusions had been reached on a deadline, he said, but added: "I think it is fair to say there is a very clear understanding that if we get a certain imperative to get those weapons inspectors back, then that has to mean a time limit."
"Next week, the heavy lifting begins," Powell said, adding that he wanted a tough resolution on Iraq, which Washington says is developing deadly weapons in defiance of UN demands set out at the end of the 1991 Gulf War and renewed since.
"These have to be resolutions, or a resolution, that has a deadline to it, that has firm standards to it and that will be tough, very tough," Powell said.
Relieved that the United States was not launching war on Iraq immediately, world leaders have welcomed Bush's call for the United Nations to force Baghdad to comply with its will.
"We share fully the deep concerns over Iraq's defiance and over its weapons of mass destruction," Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller, whose country is current EU president, said after separate talks with Powell and Ivanov.
"We put great value on the decision of President Bush to address the problem of Iraq multilaterally," he said, adding that Iraq could no longer waste time on weapons inspections.
EU External Affairs Commissioner Chris Patten also said that any new Security Council resolution could leave little opportunity for Iraq to defer compliance with UN demands.
"I think everybody is very conscious of the importance of avoiding a resolution that says 'this year, next year, sometime...' because we've been there before and the answer's been 'never'," he told a joint news conference with Moeller.
Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz earlier rejected the unconditional return of the inspectors, saying the move would not avert US military designs on Baghdad.
Arab states have unanimously opposed any attack on Iraq, but some have urged Baghdad to readmit the arms monitors.
"We have sent an appeal, and we ask our brothers in Iraq to respond to this invitation and accept the return of the UN inspectors in accordance with Security Council resolutions," Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher told reporters.
Jordan, one of Iraq's Arab neighbors, has also repeatedly told the Iraqis they would be wise to let the inspectors back, added a senior Arab official who asked not to be named.
But Straw said Iraq would only respond to a demand to get the inspectors back "if it is written on their eyeballs that unless they do the consequences will be very severe for them".
Powell and Straw spoke of resolutions in the plural, suggesting proposals by French President Jacques Chirac may prevail. France wants to give Iraq three weeks to accept the weapons inspectors without conditions. A second resolution would follow to approve the use of force.