"I would say that within weeks, we will know enough to bring this to a conclusion one way or the other," said Powell

WASHINGTON, February 6 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell on Thursday, February 6, took his Iraq argument to the Senate, in a bid to defend the Bush administration’s case against Iraq.

Speaking to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee one day after laying out the administration's case against Iraq before the U.N. Security Council, Powell said the fate of the disarmament process would become clear when U.N. chief arms Inspector Hans Blix and International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Mohamed El-Baradei returned from their weekend visit to Iraq, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

"I think it will start to come to a head when Dr Blix and Dr El-Baradei return from Baghdad and we see whether or not there is any serious chance of progress.

"I would say that within weeks, as the president has said, we will know enough to bring this to a conclusion one way or the other,” Powell told Senators.

"I think we are reaching an endgame in a matter of weeks, not a matter of months," he added.

Arguing that nobody likes war, Powell said the U.S. and the international community cannot shrink from their responsibilities of protecting the world.

"The United Nations, the international community must not ignore their responsibilities.

"I don't like war, nobody likes war, the president doesn't like war, he doesn't want a war, but this is a problem we cannot walk away from,” Powell said.

He argued that the idea of expanding inspection teams put forward by France and Germany after his presentation at the United Nations on Wednesday, February 5, would not work without evidence of a change of attitude by Iraq President Saddam Hussein.

"Twice as many inspectors, three times as many inspectors ... might be useful if there was a change in attitude, but if there is no change in attitude, we don't need to hire more detectives."

Powell did not rule out the possibility of a second U.N. resolution authorising war against Iraq, but claimed that it was not legally necessary, though desirable.  

He said that after consultations with his counterparts in the U.N. Security Council, he came to the conviction there might be more support for a second resolution.

Powell claimed U.N. Security Council members knew when they approved resolution 1441 that Iraq would be subjected to military action if it failed to comply.

Powell said that, at the time, he told council members who approved the resolution unanimously that they shouldn't vote for it if they wouldn't support a second resolution "when serious consequences are called for -- Don't play that double game."

The secretary of state further called on the Senators to consider the benefits of ridding the Middle East of Saddam.

"There is also the possibility that success could fundamentally reshape that region in a positive way that will enhance U.S. interests, especially if in the aftermath of that conflict we are also able to achieve progress on the Middle East peace itself," he said.

After his speech, Powell committee members, both Democrats and Republican, lavished praise on the top diplomat.

"I am proud to be associated with you," CNN quoted the committee's top Democrat, Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, as saying.

"I think you did better than anyone could have because of your standing, your reputation and your integrity as it is understood by our European friends as well as others around the world," he said.

On Wednesday, Powell claimed that Iraq has defied all calls to.

He presented tape recordings of intercepted telephone calls, satellite photos and informants' statements that he alleged constituted "irrefutable and undeniable" evidence that Saddam was concealing weapons of mass destruction.

Iraq, for its part, rejected Powell’s presentation as incorrect and poorly sourced, branding it "a typical American show."