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Inspectors want clear Iraq mandate
UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- The top U.N. weapons inspectors Monday urged a divided Security Council for a clear mandate to disarm Iraq, and the White House said debate has gone on "long enough." Hans Blix, head of the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspections Commission, and International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei met with council members in a closed meeting. ElBaradei said both men told Security Council members they need unified support before resuming weapons inspections inside Iraq. "We need explicit authority, good practical arrangements and information from all member states as how to go and where to go to make sure that Iraq is completely disarmed," he said. U.S. officials say they want a Security Council vote by the end of the week on a U.S. resolution demanding Iraq comply with previous U.N. mandates and give up weapons of mass destruction -- or face the threat of military action. Other Security Council members, particularly France and Russia, object to any automatic threat of military action. As two of the five permanent members, both have veto power. Blix said Iraq should know what awaits if it attempts to block inspectors' work. "I think it is desirable that Iraq understands that any lack of cooperation or violation of the provisions of the resolution will call for reactions on the part of the council," he said. The Bush administration says Iraq has kept chemical and biological weapons and is working to develop nuclear weapons in violation of U.N. resolutions dating to the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Iraq denies the allegations and has invited weapons inspectors to return for the first time since 1998. "Either the United Nations will do its duty to disarm Saddam Hussein, or Saddam Hussein will disarm himself," President Bush told a Republican rally in New Mexico. "In either case, if they refuse to act, in the name of peace, in the name of a secure tomorrow, in the name of freedom, the United States will lead a coalition and disarm Saddam Hussein." White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said U.N. talks are "coming down to the wire." "The United Nations has debated this long enough. The time has come for people to raise their hands and cast their votes," he said. The U.S. proposal would send international weapons inspectors back to Iraq with a tough set of conditions for Iraqi officials to meet. Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri said the resolution amounted to a declaration of war.
"It can be described as a declaration of war not only on Iraq but on the United Nations," Sabri said. "This draft resolution undermines the basic principles of the United Nations charter. It also undermines the relevant Security Council resolutions about Iraq." The U.S. and British-backed resolution is far from assured of passage. Secretary of State Colin Powell warned over the weekend that a solution "may evade us." And Mexico, which is a key vote among the council's 10 rotating members, would not support the U.S. approach, Ambassador Adolfo Aguilar Zinser told CNN. France and Russia circulated their own proposals late last week, but neither has yet threatened a veto. The French prefer a two-stage approach: The first would demand that Iraq allow weapons inspectors to resume their work; the second would authorized military action if Baghdad fails to comply. The Russian and French texts do not contain language describing how Iraqi non-cooperation with inspections would be a "material breach" of its obligations to the United Nations -- language the United States says is necessary. Bush made clear over the weekend that the French and Russian proposals do not meet his standards. But French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said France's approach is more efficient and has broad support on the council. "France wants agreement, and for us the sooner the better," he said. "We want inspectors back in Iraq and want them at work in taking out all weapons of mass destruction." One Western diplomat suggested that the council's foreign ministers may meet to bridge the Security Council split -- but most nations would be reluctant to convene such a meeting "unless you're conscious you can produce a result." CNN's John King and Ronni Berke contributed to this report.
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