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01-24-03, 02:14 AM

U.S. Says It Will Not Have to Act Alone on Iraq
Thu January 23, 2003 04:37 PM ET
By Arshad Mohammed
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said on Thursday it would not have to act alone against Iraq and brushed aside opposition from France and Germany to war, saying those states could sit on the sidelines if they chose.

"I don't think we'll have to worry about going it alone," Secretary of State Powell said at a news conference with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw at which he was peppered with questions about the misgivings of France, Germany and other nations about the possibility of an imminent war.

Opposition to war among some of the five veto-holding members of the U.N. Security Council appears to have gathered steam since one member, France, on Monday suggested that it may use its vote to block any U.N. resolution authorizing force.

Russia and China have also expressed reservations, with Moscow advising against unilateral action and Beijing saying on Monday U.N. inspectors searching for Iraqi chemical, biological and nuclear weapon's programs should be given more time.

"There is no serious reason for the start of a military attack on Iraq. We hope that no country will take single action outside U.N. decisions," Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov told reporters in Athens.

It is not yet clear whether the United States may seek a new U.N. resolution authorizing the use of force -- Powell called it an 'open question" -- and all sides are pointing to a report from the inspectors due on Monday as a key factor.

Making a point the United States has stressed in recent days, Powell said it would be a major failure for the United Nations if it did not act against Iraq.

"(For) the international community now, to say: 'Never mind, I'll walk away from this problem,' or ignore it or allow it to be strung out indefinitely with no end, I think, would be a defeat for the international community and a serious defeat of the United Nations process," Powell said.

'STRONG COALITION'

"If it can't be solved peacefully and if the U.N. should fail to act ... then the United States reserves the right to do what it thinks is appropriate to defend its interests," he added. "I'm quite confident if it comes to that we will be joined by many nations ... it will be a strong coalition."

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer shrugged off French and German opposition to any U.S.-led war on Iraq, saying they could stay on the sidelines if they choose because plenty of other nations will play supporting roles.

"It is their prerogative, if they choose, to be on the sideline" in the event of an Iraq war, Fleischer said, citing Britain, Italy, Spain and Eastern European nations as countries that might support a U.S.-led effort against Iraq.

The United States and Britain, one of the closest U.S. allies, have built up forces in the Middle East, saying this is needed to back up their diplomatic efforts to disarm Iraq and in the event they should decide to go to war.

Straw said no decisions had yet been taken on whether war may be necessary and he stressed his government would prefer a second U.N. resolution authorizing force although it reserved the right to act without one if necessary.

"We want to see this resolved peacefully but we also know, to quote (U.N. Secretary General) Kofi Annan, that sometimes -- and this is, by God, one occasion -- you have to back effective diplomacy with a credible threat of force," he said.

"We are all uneasy about the idea of having to use military force which is why all of us have said and believe that it can only be, and must only be, a very last resort," Straw told Sky Television News.

President Bush discussed Iraq with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the Kremlin said Putin told the him the key to future action on Iraq would be found in next week's report by U.N. arms inspectors to the Security Council.

The White House confirmed the conversation took place but gave no immediate details. Russia, which has large economic investments in Iraq and strong political links with Baghdad, says there is no justification to attack at this time."

In a speech designed to pressure Iraq and help prepare the American public for the possibility of war, U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz did not break new ground but accused Baghdad of hiding its weapons, lying about them and threatening Iraqi scientists with death if they cooperate with inspectors.

"It is a shell game played on a grand scale with deadly, serious weapons," he said.

Former President Bill Clinton said on Thursday he favored letting the U.N. arms inspection process "play out" longer in Iraq before any decisions about initiating military action.

"I'd be inclined to listen to the inspectors. They have a sense of whether they feel they are doing good and whether they think they are getting cooperation. My instinct would be to listen to what they have to say," he said.

"If there is going to be a military conflict here, the rest of the world and most Americans have to know the inspections were undertaken in good faith," the former president said.