U.S., Britain, Spain Unveil New Iraq Resolution - Groundwork For American-Led Invasion
By Colum Lynch Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, February 25, 2003; Page A01
UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 24 -- The United States, Britain and Spain introduced a new draft Security Council resolution today declaring that Iraq has squandered its "final opportunity" to voluntarily disarm and laying the political and legal groundwork for a U.S.-led military invasion.
The introduction of the resolution, which recalls that the 15-nation council warned Iraq in November that it would face "serious consequences" if it did not scrap its banned weapons programs, marked the beginning of what U.S. and British officials characterized as the final push to win council backing for a decision to go to war.
French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who have been leading the opposition to an early move to war, responded with their own diplomatic counteroffensive. Meeting in Berlin, they announced a new initiative that would ensure the continuation of U.N. weapons inspections in Iraq at least through the middle of the summer. Russian President Vladimir Putin endorsed the proposal.
U.S., Britain, Spain Unveil New Iraq Resolution - Groundwork For American-Led Invasion
By Colum Lynch Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, February 25, 2003; Page A01
UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 24 -- The United States, Britain and Spain introduced a new draft Security Council resolution today declaring that Iraq has squandered its "final opportunity" to voluntarily disarm and laying the political and legal groundwork for a U.S.-led military invasion.
The introduction of the resolution, which recalls that the 15-nation council warned Iraq in November that it would face "serious consequences" if it did not scrap its banned weapons programs, marked the beginning of what U.S. and British officials characterized as the final push to win council backing for a decision to go to war.
French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who have been leading the opposition to an early move to war, responded with their own diplomatic counteroffensive. Meeting in Berlin, they announced a new initiative that would ensure the continuation of U.N. weapons inspections in Iraq at least through the middle of the summer. Russian President Vladimir Putin endorsed the proposal.
