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France issues threat to block resolution
New progress reports presented by the chief UN weapons inspectors yesterday offered no reason for the anti-war axis of France, Russia, China and Germany to drop their stiffening opposition to an early US-led attack on Iraq. Hans Blix and Mohamed El Baradei's verdict of mainly improved cooperation from Baghdad and demand for more time to finish their job bolstered the weasels sceptics, three of whom are veto-wielding UN security council members.
Nobody doubted that would happen....
The US president, George Bush, on Thursday warned security council members the time had come to "show their cards on Saddam". These cards a pair of deuces, a four of hearts, a six of clubs and a nine of diamonds were displayed yesterday in the countries' responses to Mr Blix's statement, as their foreign ministers reiterated broad opposition to swift military action ever.
And no one's in the least surprised...

France
The French foreign minister, Dominique de Villepin, implicitly threatened to use France's veto to block a new resolution giving the green light to war. He also rejected setting any deadline for Iraqi compliance with UN resolution 1441, saying that would be a pretext for war. "The reports tell us that for a month, Iraq has been barely actively cooperating with a gun to its head," Mr de Villepin said. "Why should we now engage in war with Iraq? Why smash the instruments that have just proved their effectiveness?"
Because we don't intend to keep this up until Doomsday...
Baghdad presents "less of a danger to the world" than it did before the Gulf war in 1991, Mr de Villepin said, adding that while Paris was prepared to accept an "accelerated timetable" for the weapons inspections, it "cannot accept an ultimatum as long as the inspectors are reporting progress. That would mean war".
"And we always think the inspectors will make progress."
As a veto-holding security council member, France "will not allow a resolution to pass that authorises the automatic use of force", the foreign minister said. He suggested instead that the inspectors draw up a "hierarchy of tasks for disarmament" and give a new progress report every three weeks for the next three years, and called for world heads of state to meet at the UN to "make the choice between war and peace".
There's a good idea. I'd love to have a picture of Chiraq with his hand up, voting 'non'. Ditto for Putin and Schroeder. Those would be mighty useful.
France is working hard to ensure the new resolution drawn up by the US, Britain and Spain will not win a majority on the 15-member council. Mr de Villepin will visit Angola, Cameroon and Guinea - all council members who are undecided over Iraq - next week, diplomatic sources in Paris said.
I hope Colin Powell is working just as hard to get these countries to our side.

Russia
Igor Ivanov, the Russian foreign minister, appeared less forceful than his French colleague and avoided using the word veto. He hardened his position against Iraq, admitting for the first time that it could have cooperated better with inspections, and calling for Baghdad to be set a list of disarmament tasks to perform.
Cats-paw; that's the set-up for the French to have a never-ending list.
But Mr Ivanov said the chance of disarming Iraq peacefully "really did exist". He warned of the dangers of war, demanded international law be adhered to, and called on the security council to "emerge from the Iraq crisis not divided, but united and strong".
The SC is broken. Get used to it.
However, he was noticeably less determined about opposition to the proposed second US-UK resolution, saying that "we all face a difficult choice". Mr Ivanov said that inspections were "progressing" and that access to sites had been "immediate" and "unimpeded". But he also demanded the "Iraqi leadership must more actively assist" inspections.
Is that the sound of the back door I hear opening?
I think he's just being even-handed. I think Russia will sit it out and let France say "no."

China
Efforts should persist to secure a political solution, the Chinese foreign minister, Tang Jiaxuan, said, but he made no threat of the veto in his response. He added: "We need resolve and determination and more importantly patience and wisdom. The road to peace has not been exhausted." Chinese commentators say that whether to use the veto or abstain on a second resolution will be a difficult question for Beijing. While China supports the Russian-French-German statement opposing war, it is anxious not to be left exposed if any or all of the three should modify their position.
Naked self-interest. I can respect that.

Germany
The German foreign minister, Joschka "the Red" Fischer, gave an impassioned "no" to war. While conceding that Baghdad had not cooperated as readily as it might have done, Mr Fischer argued that to abandon the inspections now would be "incomprehensible".
It's certainly incomprehensible to you.
I find it comprehensible. But then, I've never beat up a cop...
He urged the inspectors to take up a suggestion, made by Germany, France and Russia, to specify and prioritise the outstanding problems, then setting precise time frames for their resolution.
But if the Iraqis don't meet the time frames, the Weasels will just vote to extend them. Cats-paw.
Posted by: Steve White 2003-03-08
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=11031