White House Signals Willingness to Revise Resolution

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, March 11, 2003

White House Signals Willingness to Revise Resolution

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Adopting a two-pronged strategy to avert a U.N. defeat, the Bush administration once again portrayed Iraq as in violation of international demands it disarm, but signaled a willingness to revise its troubled resolution endorsing the use of force.

As new evidence to condemn Saddam Hussein as a deceptive cheat, Secretary of State Colin Powell and his spokesman cited the development of drone airplanes and cluster bombs, both capable of spreading chemicals. Powell said the world should be concerned.

Hoping to win the support of U.N. Security Council fence-sitters, U.S. and British diplomats consulted with them on extending the March 17 deadline proposed last Friday for Iraq to disclose and eliminate all its hidden weapons of mass destruction.

In the process, a vote planned for Tuesday was postponed at least until later in the week. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer described consultations on the March 17 deadline as "fluid."

President Bush and Powell pressed their diplomacy to secure at least the minimally required nine votes for adoption of the resolution. The foreign minister of Guinea, Francois Fall, said after a luncheon meeting with Powell that Guinea and other council members were "in intensive consultations in order to find a compromise."

State Department spokesman Richard Boucher confirmed that revising the tough resolution in a bid to gain support was being considered.

"We are obviously listening to other governments as we talk to them, and we'll see where we come out on this. At this point I don't want to predict anything either way," Boucher said.

Still, opposition by France and Russia loomed as huge hurdles for the resolution devised jointly by the United States, Britain and Spain.

Source: Agencies

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