U.N. Officials Debate a Compromise on Iraq

Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix, right, and the International Atomic Energy Agency's Mohammed ElBaradei

The topic of Iraq is on the table at the United Nations, and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council are working to reach a possible compromise on a resolution. Now that the Bush administration has the approval of Congress to launch a possible strike on Iraq, the U.S. is pushing the United Nations to threaten consequences if the Gulf nation does not disarm. And the White House says slow progress is being made, though negotiations are likely to continue into next week.

White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer says that the U.S. has "certain issues that we feel extraordinarily strong about," including the threat of consequences if Iraq does not disarm. The Bush administration promises to consult the Security Council again before launching any possible military action against Iraq. But the U.S. also says that after that consultation, it reserves the right to strike the Gulf nation, and that it will not depend on U.N. approval to take military action.

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President Bush met with chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix on Wednesday, and with Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Bush told Blix that the U.S. wants to work with weapons inspectors, according to Ari Fleischer. National Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice said that the president "wanted to signal that he wants a peaceful way to resolve the situation - that war is not his first choice." But Rice said the president did believe the situation needed to be resolved.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon reaffirmed a decision to send more B-2 bombers to the Persian Gulf. The move comes as part of a military buildup in the region. Lee Hamilton of the Woodrow Wilson International Center says it is a way of letting Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein know that "there is a credible military threat against him."

White House officials predict a deal on a resolution will be reached in the United Nations next week. If talks there fail, however, the White House believes that because the president gave the U.N. a chance to take the lead, Bush will have an easier time building an international coalition against Iraq.