Posted on 03/13/2003 4:43:35 AM PST by prairiebreeze
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada urged France on Wednesday to reconsider its threat to veto any U.N. resolution that authorizes the use of force against Iraq (news - web sites), saying Paris should instead consider a Canadian initiative to bridge the deep splits between Security Council members.
Ottawa put forward a proposal on Tuesday under which Iraqi President Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) would be given a three-week deadline for Baghdad to comply with U.N. demands to disarm or face the possibility of war.
Foreign Minister Bill Graham said this could avoid a war by making it clear to Saddam that Iraq would not be invaded if he fulfilled the demands being made upon him.
The six swing votes on the Security Council -- Chile, Mexico, Pakistan, Cameroon, Guinea and Angola -- back the proposal but it could still founder on opposition from France, which made clear on Monday that it would use its veto to block a resolution authorizing war.
Washington and its allies aim to present such a resolution to the Security Council in the very near future. If France did cast a veto, it is widely expected the United States would then decide to attack Iraq.
Graham told reporters during a conference call that he "wouldn't abandon hope yet" since he felt France might take into consideration the views of the swing voters.
"I'm not saying the French aren't showing enough flexibility but I'm saying that we would certainly be urging on France to consider this proposal as the way which is more likely to achieve solving this, without the use of force, than the Council turning everything down automatically," he said.
"I don't think anyone today is in a euphoric state. We are certainly realistic in recognizing that there are some very serious challenges to what we're trying to achieve. But on the balance side of the equation, there are a lot of countries that are looking for a similar solution."
Prime Minister Jean Chretien and Graham have been working the phones constantly in a bid to gain backing for Ottawa's proposal, especially from the six swing voters, who Graham said could help find a solution.
"Our view is that the undecided six could play a role here if they choose to do so and that's been the purpose of the prime minister's calls," he said.
Chretien, who told reporters that he had spoken to British Prime Minister Tony Blair (news - web sites) on Wednesday, said he could not predict what the fate of the Canadian proposal would be.
"We are working to prevent a war, not to have a war. If Saddam doesn't disarm there will be war. There's no doubt about that," he said.
Although the United States, Britain, Spain and Bulgaria are working to amend their resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq, Spain said the document might be withdrawn because of a likely veto by France.
Graham played down this idea, saying "While, as a tactic, that might have been possible some weeks ago, I have a lot of difficulty believing it would be done tomorrow".
He said the chances of getting the nine votes needed to pass any resolution at the Security Council "become greater the closer one comes to having a resolution which reflects the concerns of parties not to automatically go to war but rather give Saddam Hussein a chance to respond".
Prairie
Over a decade ago the New Republic had a contest for the most boring possible headline.
The winner, judged the most boring possible headline for a news story, was "Worthwhile Canadian Initiative".
That magazine was years ahead of its time.
That's great weather. You don't know hot until you've spent a summer in south Louisiana... :)
Plus, you were talking about Baghdad, and we're not quite there yet. We're still in Kuwait, and the weather there is already getting a bit warmer.
http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/local/KUXX0003?whatprefs=&lswe=Kuwait%20City&lswa=WeatherLocalUndeclared
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