White House dismisses Iraqi offer

Tariq Aziz

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The White House Saturday quickly dismissed Iraq's conditional offer to allow U.N. weapons inspectors back inside the country, saying the Iraqis know "what they need to do."

"The Iraqis...obviously have something to hide," said a senior administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "They need to comply with all these U.N. resolutions."

Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz, during a news conference Saturday, said Iraq would only allow inspectors back in if there is no military action by the United States and if U.N. sanctions are lifted.

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"If there is a solution which maintains Iraq's sovereignty, dignity and legitimate rights and prevents aggression, we are ready," Aziz said.

But he said Iraq would prevent inspectors returning if "there is no honest, balanced and credible formula that will take us to the truth."

Aziz denied Iraq was harboring weapons of mass destruction and accused President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair of exaggerating the threat posed by Iraq to the region.

U.S. officials said Saturday they believed Bush was making progress convincing world leaders that Iraq must be dealt with -- and reiterate that the matter is not one between the United States and Iraq, but between the United Nations and Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

"You are seeing the international community coalesce around this idea that Iraq must comply" with U.N. resolutions, and "that Iraq must be dealt with," the senior official said.

Bush, who huddled Saturday with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi at Camp David, stepped up the pressure on the United Nations, saying the institution must show some "backbone" and deal with the Iraqi leader.

"Enough is enough," said Bush, who argued that Saddam has defied the United Nations 16 times since the Gulf War. "The United Nations will either be able to function as a peacekeeping body as we head into the 21st century, or it will be irrelevant, and that's what we are about to find out."

Bush also said if the world body did not act, he was prepared to take matters into his own hands.

"Make no mistake about it, if we have to deal with the problem, we'll deal with it," Bush said.

"Please, I'm telling the world," Aziz said. "Find the magic formula which would preserve Iraq's dignity, would reach the truth, would find out what's happening in Iraq -- but would prevent a war."

Vice President Dick Cheney reiterated Bush's point on CNN's "Novak, Hunt and Shields" Saturday.

"I think it was pretty clear that we'd prefer to do this on an international basis with the approval and cooperation and support of other nations, but that this is deemed to be such an important issue and such an important problem that we will address [it] by ourselves if we have to," Cheney said.

Berlusconi, who has said that the United States should not go it alone on Iraq, publicly praised Bush for taking the case to the United Nations.

"We welcome the decision of President Bush to bring the problem to the table of the (U.N.) Security Council," the Italian prime minister said. "As it was stated clearly, the United Nations cannot continue to see its image undermined and its resolutions flaunted."

A senior administration official described the two-hour session between Bush and Berlusconi as a "very good, excellent" meeting, where the two men discussed a range of issues including Iraq, the Middle East and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan.

Berlusconi expressed support for Bush's approach on Iraq, the senior official added, although the top aide could not say if the Italian leader expressed his opposition to any unilateral U.S. action.

Bush, in his weekly radio address, tried to step up the pressure on both the United Nations and Congress.

The president called on the United Nations to pass a new resolution quickly, in "days" or "weeks," which would call for Iraq to allow weapons inspectors inside the country or face the consequences. Bush also wants Congress to pass a resolution backing the possible use of military force before recessing for the November midterm elections.

"The issue is straightforward," the president said. "We must choose between a world of fear, or a world of progress. We must stand up for our security and for the demands of human dignity. By heritage and choice, the United States will make that stand. The world community must do so, as well."

Administration officials are expected to testify before Congress at hearings this week.