UNITED NATIONS -- Britain set out a list of conditions for Iraq's disarmament Wednesday, hoping to break an impasse at the United Nations that has left Prime Minister Tony Blair vulnerable at home because of his support for the tough U.S. line.
Winning a U.N. resolution on Iraq is politically vital for Blair, who could face a revolt from his own Labor party if he joins the United States in military action without U.N. backing. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld suggested Tuesday that Washington was considering war without Britain, its closest ally, by its side.
Blair came under sharp questioning in Parliament on Wednesday from lawmakers opposed to war, many of whom pointed to Rumsfeld's comments.
The United States and Britain have been trying to win U.N. approval for giving Iraq an ultimatum to disarm or face war. But it has become clear that a resolution for a March 17 deadline still does not have enough support on the Security Council.
France, Russia and China - all with veto power - oppose the U.S.-backed resolution, with Paris threatening to veto any measure that contains an ultimatum or the automatic use of force.
Britain took the lead Wednesday in trying to break the stalemate. Foreign Office Minister Mike O'Brien outlined six disarmament "benchmarks" that Baghdad would have to meet by a deadline. O'Brien said the conditions would be included in a new draft resolution.
The conditions would include:
- A television appearance by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein renouncing weapons of mass destruction.
- Iraq's permitting 30 key weapons scientists to travel to Cyprus to be interviewed by U.N. weapons inspectors.
- Destruction "forthwith" of 10,000 liters of anthrax and other chemical and biological weapons Iraq is allegedly holding.
- Surrender of and explanation about biological weapons production.
- Commitment to destroy proscribed missiles.
- Accounting for unmanned aerial vehicles.
Specifying conditions for Iraq could help swing wavering votes on the Security Council. But another key question is how long Saddam would be given to prove he has gotten rid of weapons of mass destruction.
Six countries that hold the key to a U.S. victory in the council proposed a 45-day reprieve for Iraq. U.S. officials said they were willing to listen to the informal proposal but envisioned a far shorter deadline of seven to 10 days from the resolution's passage.
The British were talking about giving Iraq 10 days to prove it has made a "strategic decision" to disarm. It would then have a brief window to carry out a series of disarmament tasks that would be verified by inspectors. Should it fail to complete the tasks, then a coalition of willing nations would have a free hand to strike.
White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said the United States would put a text to a vote some time this week. But another senior administration official said on condition of anonymity that State Department officials were trying to convince the White House it might be better to postpone the vote and avert a veto.
Canada offered a proposal - strongly backed by Chile, a key swing vote - that would set a three-week deadline for Iraq to show it is cooperating fully with a set of disarmament tasks drawn up by the weapons inspectors, rather than by London and Washington. A close aide to Chilean President Richardo Lagos called it a "checklist of about 12 items."
If Baghdad is found to be cooperating, new deadlines could be set until all the disarmament goals are met.
By late Tuesday, it appeared that a carefully worded compromise could get the United States the nine necessary "yes" votes it needs to have a majority in the council. Senior diplomats said that despite rhetoric from Islamabad, Pakistan appeared to now be on board with the United States.
That gives the United States the support of Britain, Spain, Bulgaria, Pakistan, Cameroon and Mexico, meaning it only needs two of the other three undecideds - Guinea, Angola and Chile.
Syria and Germany were expected to oppose the resolution or abstain along with France, Russia and China.
Resolution 1441, passed by the council in November, set up a new, tougher inspections regime and gave Saddam a warning of "serious consequences" if he failed to disarm. The United States and Britain believe the Iraqi leader failed to use the chance to disarm and cooperate with inspections.
Bush and Blair have said they would use military force, if necessary, with a coalition of allies if the United Nations refuses to pass the resolution. But U.N. backing would give a war international legitimacy and ensure that the costs of reconstruction would be shared by the organization.
In London, war opponents in Parliament grilled Blair over whether he would go to war without a resolution - and several lawmakers pointed to Rumsfeld's comments the day before suggesting Washington couldn't count on British help in a war.
"The cat is out of the bag. They can do it without us and give Tony Blair the chance to get out of the hole if he wishes," said Graham Allen, one of a large bloc of war opponents in Blair's Labor Party.
Blair insisted he continued to work for a second resolution to justify the use of force. "What is at stake here is not whether the United States goes alone or not, it is whether the international community is prepared to back up the clear instruction it gave to Saddam Hussein with the necessary action," he said. "The best thing is to go flat-out for that second resolution."
At a news conference Tuesday, Rumsfeld was asked whether the United States was prepared to invade Iraq without British help - or with a reduced British role.
"What will ultimately be decided is unclear as to their role; that is to say, their role in the event a decision is made to use force," Rumsfeld said, adding that it was "an issue that the president will be addressing in the days ahead, one would assume."
After his news conference, Rumsfeld said he still expected British support.
Britain's six conditions for Saddam
Britain proposes six tests for Saddam to complete to prove he is disarmed:
- A television appearance renouncing weapons of mass destruction.
- Allow 30 key weapons scientists to travel to Cyprus to be interviewed by U.N. inspectors.
- Destroy "forthwith" 10,000 liters of anthrax and other chemical and biological weapons Iraq is suspected of holding.
- Hand over biological weapons and explain production.
- Commit to destroying banned missiles.
- Account for drone aircraft.
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