New US resolution on Iraq wants tight inspections, soft on attack

The United States met with the four other key UN Security Council members on Monday to distribute a new draft resolution that would tighten weapons inspections in Iraq, diplomats said.

Full disarmament by Iraq would be enough: Powell

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Colin Powell, who has spoken of ‘‘regime change’’ in Iraq for at least 18 months, said on Monday the US might not seek to remove Saddam Hussein if he abandoned his weapons of mass destruction. The comments by Colin Powell seemed to back away from the goal of deposing the Iraqi president, which remains Bush administration policy. (Agencies) Story continues below this ad

The latest US Proposals offer a compromise that drop explicit authorisation to use force against Iraq. But they still provide some legal cover to attack Baghdad by containing a warning of serious consequences if Iraq obstructs inspections and citing its ‘‘material breach’’ of past UN resolutions.

There has been no meeting of the permanent five council members with veto power for two weeks. But intense telephone negotiations have been conducted among foreign ministers of the five permanent members. The new US draft gives arms inspectors a central role, as demanded by most countries around the world and requests a report from the arms experts before any possible military strike, according to excerpts of the resolution.

Chief UN inspector Hans Blix planned to leave for Moscow for talks with top Russian officials on preparations for inspections. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Blix is scheduled meet Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and Yuri Fedotov, a senior Foreign Ministry official, Blix’s spokesman Ewen Buchanan said.

France, which has led the resistance to the original tough resolution is bound to make further demands before any vote in the full 15-member council can take place. (Reuters)