Chirac and Blair, who can win the other over?

LE TOUQUET, France, February 4 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Differences over the looming confrontation with Iraq looked set to dominate a summit Tuesday, February 4, between French President Jacques Chirac and British Prime Minister Tony Blair in the northern French resort of Le Touquet.

While officials from both countries insisted that they see eye-to-eye on a host of other issues - from European defense to the Israeli-Palestinian issue, their divergent positions on the possibility of war against Iraq have become a matter of unavoidable international urgency.

British officials said Blair would use the meeting to try to persuade Chirac to support a second UN security council resolution on Iraq within a short period, arguing that there is inescapable evidence of Iraqi non-compliance with weapons inspectors.

Earlier, Blair has insisted there is unmistakable evidence that Iraq is failing to co-operate with United Nations weapons inspectors.

Blair, who has already sent thousands of British troops to the Gulf in preparation for possible war, said the "final phase" of disarming Iraq had begun.

"Eight weeks have now passed since Saddam Hussein was given his final chance. The evidence of co-operation withheld is unmistakable," Blair told British MPs, many of whom are unsure if war against Iraq can be justified, according to the BBC news online.

London is hopeful that Chirac will be amenable to the Prime Minister's gambit - which could provide U.N. cover for a U.S.-led attack on Iraq - motivated by the traditional French fear of being excluded from a major international endeavor, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

However, Paris-based diplomats conceded it was just as possible that the French President would stick to his current position, which is to insist on more time for UN weapons inspectors on the grounds that they are effectively disrupting any Iraqi threat.

"There are a lot of dynamics out there beyond our control. No one can second-guess Chirac," said a British official.

Chirac has been encouraged in this policy by the clear public opposition in France and other European countries to a recourse to war without a UN resolution.

Two weeks ago, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin threatened to wield France's veto at the security council against any early resolution authorizing force, and a few days later Chirac aligned French policy with that of Germany - which is robustly anti-war.

That led, in turn, to the publication last week of an open letter by eight European leaders - including Blair - urging solidarity with the U.S., in what was widely seen as a snub to Paris's attempts to commandeer a common European position.

Saddam Warns Australia

Meanwhile, in Sydney, as federal parliament prepared Tuesday to debate Australian participation in a war in Iraq, Saddam Hussein delivered a strong warning that it would pay a heavy price in blood if it joined a U.S.-led attack, AFP.

Through his envoy in Canberra, Saad Al Samarai, the Iraqi President said he was closely watching Australia, was aware of public opinion in the country and Australia would suffer large casualties if it went to war against Iraq.

Al Samarai, just back from Baghdad, said Saddam was aware of the standoff between Prime Minister John Howard's government, which supports the U.S. campaign against Iraq, and the Labor opposition, which opposes any unilateral military action.

"He's watching the information and he's well aware about public opinion and Australian people in general," Al Samarai told reporters in Canberra. "He is watching you and me."

He said there was much sadness in Iraq that Australia was taking this stand in support of the United States which he said wanted to control the region and the oil. Diplomacy was still the answer, he said.

"There will only be casualties from your side and our side, big casualties and let me ask why?" he said.

Iraq was cooperating closely with UN weapons inspectors, but even the chief UN inspector Hans Blix was under "horrible pressure from the American side," Al Samarai added.

Australia and Britain are the only countries so far to join the United States in formally deploying troops to the Gulf as pressure builds on Saddam to comply with UN demands to fully disclose Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.

Howard, facing a furious backlash over his support for the U.S. campaign, is planning a whirlwind diplomatic tour during which he will meet U.S., UN and British leaders amid final deliberations next week over multilateral backing for a war.

He said Monday that he would press Australia's case for united global action to disarm Iraq through a second UN resolution authorizing a military response.

A new poll published Tuesday by The Australian newspaper, meantime, showed 76 percent of Australians oppose Australian participation in unilateral military action while 57 percent would support a UN-sanctioned war.