WASHINGTON,
February 24 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – U.S. President
George W. Bush called Monday, February 24, for swift UN Security Council
approval of a new resolution paving the way for war on Iraq, as his
chief spokesman embraced a mid-March deadline for a vote.
Bush
said the new measure, to be put to the Council later Monday, would
decide that body's relevance to global affairs and renewed his warning
that he will order military action against Iraq even absent explicit UN
approval, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).
"Is
it going to be a body that means what it says? We certainly hope it
does. But one way or the other, Saddam Hussein, for the sake of peace,
and for the security of the American people, will be disarmed," he
said.
Bush
said the fresh resolution "spells out what the world has witnessed
the last months. "The Iraqi regime is not disarming as required by
last fall's unanimous vote of the Security Council."
"We're
going to work with the members of the Security Council in the days ahead
to make it clear to Saddam that the demands of the world and the United
Nations will be enforced," said Bush.
On
November 8, the council's 15 members approved resolution 1441, which
warned Iraq of "serious consequences" for failing to abandon
any chemical, biological or nuclear weapons programs as well as banned
missile technology.
White
House spokesman Ari Fleischer refused to detail specific language and
declined to set a deadline for UN action, but endorsed a British call
for a vote within two weeks, saying that was "not a bad
estimate."
"The
president has made clear that following introduction he expects it to be
considered in short order," said Fleischer, who also stressed that
Saddam's removal from power would be a key aim of any war.
"The
President's goals have always been regime change and disarmament,"
said Fleischer. "The President has always said that we're not going
to leave the same people in charge of Iraq."
The
new measure, to be introduced when the Council meets at 3:30 pm (2030
GMT), "will be very short and to the point, and it will underscore
the importance" of resolution 1441, said Fleischer.
The
Security Council was to meet in closed session Monday afternoon.
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Straw
said the fresh initiative would spell out that Iraq "failed
to take its final opportunity" under resolution 1441
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Stressing
the same meaning, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said after a
meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Brussels that the fresh initiative
would spell out that Iraq had "failed to take its final
opportunity" under resolution 1441.
Fleischer
said Iraq must cooperate fully with a demand from UN disarmament
inspectors to start the destruction of banned Al-Samoud 2 missiles by
Saturday, but warned that would not forestall military action.
"It's
like taking one bullet out of the (chamber) of the gun and the rest of
the gun still armed and loaded. Taking one bullet out of the (chamber)
doesn't give anybody comfort that the gun still won't be used," he
said.
Veto-wielding
permanent UN Security Council members France, Russia, and China oppose
the U.S. hard-line stance, but it was unclear whether they would veto
the new resolution. Germany and Syria also oppose military action.
Britain,
Bulgaria and Spain back Washington. Angola, Cameroon, Chile, Guinea,
Mexico and Pakistan are undecided.
British
Prime Minister Tony Blair's official spokesman said Monday that Britain
expects a vote on a second UN resolution on Iraq in "early to
mid-March."
"There
will then be a clearly defined window in which Saddam will know that he
has a last opportunity with which to comply" with UN demands to
give up any weapons of mass destruction, the spokesman said in London.
U.S.
Secretary of State Colin Powell, who is traveling in Asia, had indicated
that Washington expected a vote on its draft after the chief UN arms
inspector, Hans Blix, next reports to the Council.
Blix
must file a three-month update on the work of the UN Monitoring,
Verification and Inspection Commission by Friday and is expected to
brief the council on March 7.
