World ready to wait but Blix gets edgy

Chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix said on Thursday Iraq had not cooperated sufficiently on disarmament and that if it did not change tack, his next report to the UN would starkly reflect his frustrations.

‘‘What has not worked is for the Iraqi side either to present prohibited items for destruction or present evidence that they are finished,’’ Blix said after talks with British PM Tony Blair in London.

‘‘We hope at this late hour…that they will come to a positive response. If they do not do that, then our report next Friday will not be what we would like it to be.’’

Blix and Mohamed el Baradei will return to Baghdad at the weekend. The pair will then deliver a fresh report to the UN Security Council on February 14.

‘‘The message coming from the Security Council is very clear: that Iraq is not cooperating fully, that they need to show drastic change in terms of cooperation,’’ Baradei said.

‘‘Our mission in Baghdad this weekend is crucial. We hope we will secure full 100 per cent cooperation.” Blair has suggested February 14 could be a deadline for war, saying this week that he would ‘‘make his judgments’’ then.

Meanwhile, despite a dramatic presentation, by Secretary of State Colin Powell, of Iraqi attempts to thwart UN inspections, key Security Council members did not budge from their opposition to war.

While nearly every Council member during Powell’s address on Wednesday agreed that Saddam Hussein’s government fell short of compliance, few suggested that Iraq had presented a big enough threat to warrant war.

France, China and Russia, who have veto powers in the 15-member Council, maintained their position that UN arms inspectors needed more time. As did six other Council members.

The purpose of Powell’s address, however, was to show that no matter how diligent inspectors were, Iraq was able to move equipment and bulldoze suspected sites in violation of the November 8 Security Council resolution.

Iraq dismissed Powell’s evidence as ‘‘cartoon films’’ with Amir al-Saadi, Saddam Hussein’s scientific adviser, saying in Baghdad, ‘‘What we heard was for the public and uninformed to influence their opinion and to commit aggression on Iraq.’’

In New York, Iraqi UN Ambassador, Mohammed Aldouri said that weapons of mass destruction were not like aspirins, easily hidden but required ‘‘huge production facilities.’’ Powell pressed his case in private sessions with most of the 15 Council members.

Bush administration officials said he had made headway with Chile and Angola in addition to Spain and Bulgaria, which were previously in the US camp along with staunch ally Britain.

But publicly Mexico, Cameroon, Guinea, Pakistan as well as Syria joined France, Russia, China and Germany in calling for further inspections and a peaceful outcome.

Germany’s Foreign Minister, Joschka Fischer, who chaired the meeting, said Powell’s evidence coincided in part with his country’s intelligence data. But he added, ‘‘The dangers of military action and its consequences are plain to see. Due to the effectiveness of the inspectors, we must continue to seek a peaceful solution.’’

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said Powell made a ‘‘most powerful’’ case against Iraq. Australian PM John Howard said Powell’s case ‘‘could hardly be more damning’’ in proving that Iraq was not cooperating with UN resolution 1441.

Japan said the evidence had deepened doubts about the status of Iraq’s weapons programme but it stopped short of expressing public support for a US-led military attack.