France proposes reducing Iraq disarmament deadline to 30 days

PARIS, March 16, Kyodo - French President Jacques Chirac proposed on Sunday shortening the deadline for Iraq to disarm to 30 days instead of four months, the French presidential office said.

French officials said Chirac unveiled the proposal in an interview the U.S. media to be broadcast later Sunday, saying that France is ready to consider the proposition.

The White House has already rejected a similar proposal Chilean President Ricardo Lagos made on Friday.

Chirac held the interview prior to an emergency summit later Sunday of the United States, Britain and Spain in the Azores islands.

France, Germany and Russia issued a joint statement Saturday in Paris calling for an emergency meeting of foreign ministers from U.N. Security Council member countries next Tuesday to set a ''realistic'' timetable to disarm Iraq.

''We reaffirm that nothing justifies in the present circumstances putting a stop to the inspection process and resorting to the use of force,'' the statement said. ''The use of force can only be a last resort.''

France, Russia and Germany -- which lead the opposition to military action against Iraq -- said they want a foreign ministers meeting to hammer out ''a strict and realistic time table'' for Iraq to disarm its suspected weapons of mass destruction.

French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said in a televised interview later Saturday, ''France is prepared to compromise, on the basis of a very tight timetable'' for inspections. ''But not on an ultimatum and not on automatic recourse to force.''

Bush Urges Nations to Back U.S. on Iraq

Sunday March 16, 2003 8:10 PM

LAJES, Azores Islands (AP) - Poised for war with Iraq, President Bush and three allied leaders set a one-day deadline Sunday for diplomacy to produce a resolution demanding immediate disarmament of Saddam Hussein.

``Tomorrow is a moment of truth for the world,'' Bush said after a hurriedly called Atlantic island summit.

``Now we make a final appeal to make a strong, unified message on behalf of the international community,'' added British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who joined Bush and the leaders of Spain and Portugal for a few short hours of summitry.

They gathered at a time when more than 250,000 troops, a naval armada and an estimated 1,000 combat aircraft are positioned in the Persian Gulf area, an American-led force ready to strike if and when the president gives the word.

Bush urged other nations to support ``the immediate and unconditional disarmament'' of Iraq. France, Germany and Russia have opposed an additional United Nations resolution to set an ultimatum for the Iraqi leader to disarm - and the French have threatened to veto it. And efforts to win the votes of uncommitted nations at the U.N. Security Council have faltered in recent days.

The four men met at an American air base in the Azores, Portuguese territory in the Atlantic Ocean.

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar said the agreement among the leaders marked ``a last chance, one last attempt to reach the greatest possible consensus among ourselves.''

Bush sounded as if he didn't expect reluctant countries to change their minds.

Asked whether Monday was the day that would determine whether diplomacy could work, he replied, ``That's what I'm saying.''

``We hope tomorrow the U.N. will do its job,'' Bush said. Alternatively, he said, ``Saddam Hussein can leave the country if he's interested in peace.''

The president was scornful of France's role in the diplomatic tug of war that has unfolded in recent months.

Noting that he said 10 days ago he wanted the nations of the Security Council to show their cards, he said, ``France showed their cards. After I said what I said, they said they were going to veto anything that held Saddam to account.''

One senior U.S. official said that in his remarks, Bush did not intend to rule out accepting a compromise on Monday that would briefly extend a March 17 deadline written into the resolution that has stalled at the U.N. This official added, though, that any new resolution must be backed by a threat of force, something France has opposed.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also said that Bush plans to address the nation shortly after the diplomatic window closes Monday. That address could come as early as Monday night, the official said.

In his remarks, Bush seemed at times to be looking beyond war, saying that ``Iraq's liberation would be the beginning, not the end, of our commitment to its people.''

He pledged humanitarian relief, an end to international sanctions and an effort to rejuvenate the nation's economy. ``We'll make sure that Iraq's natural resources are used for the benefit of their owners, the Iraqi people,'' he said.

Bush planned to call fellow leaders on the flight back to Washington aboard Air Force One.

American frustration with the French was on display during the day, both in Bush's remarks and in comments by Vice President Dick Cheney.

French President Jacques Chirac said Sunday he was willing to accept a 30-day deadline for Iraq to disarm, provided the move was endorsed by U.N. weapons inspectors.

Two thousand miles away, Cheney brushed that suggestion aside in an appearance on NBC's ``Meet the Press,'' recounting a long list of French actions in recent years that he said had let Saddam avoid disarmament.

Blair noted that some nations oppose any ultimatum to Saddam.

The result, he said, is that the Iraqi leader is playing a game that ``he has played over the last 12 years. Disarmament never happens but instead the international community is drawn into some perpetual negotiation,'' he said.

``Now we have reached the point of decision,'' he said.

Portugal Prime Minister Jose Durao Barroso called the Azores summit ``the last chance of a political solution. It may be a small chance but if there is only one chance in a million it's worth trying this opportunity.''

In Washington, Secretary of State Colin Powell said, ``Is it time to bring the curtain down on this or is there some hope?'' Cheney appeared to answer the question, saying, ``There's no question but what we're close to the end, if you will, of the diplomatic efforts.''

Cheney, among the senior administration officials who appeared on talk shows in Washington to stress both diplomacy and the nearness of war, said, ``Clearly, the president's going to have to make a very, very difficult and important decision here in the next few days.''

Powell suggested that the Iraqi president could avert a war in his country by fleeing to another nation along with his top lieutenants. He said he thought there were countries that ``would be willing to do that as their contribution to avoiding a war.''

At the same time, he said would advise weapons inspectors, humanitarian aid workers and journalists now in Baghdad ``to take a hard look at the situation they are in, and it would be probably better for them to start leaving or making plans to leave.''

The summit also had a more symbolic purpose: to show the three leaders - particularly Blair and Aznar, who need political cover at home for their much-criticized alliance with Bush - were willing to make a final diplomatic push to win international backing for war.

Blix Marches on With Inspections Plan
President Bush Demands U.N. Action As Hans Blix Works on Plan for More Weapons Inspections

The Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS March 16 —
As President Bush demanded the United Nations decide on war immediately, France and its allies prepared an initiative to give Iraq more time to prove it is disarming and Hans Blix put the finishing touches Sunday on a plan for months more of weapons inspections.

After meeting with the leaders of Britain and Spain his top allies in seeking military action Bush said that Monday was "a moment of truth for the world" and urged other nations to support "the immediate and unconditional disarmament" of Saddam Hussein.

A U.S.-backed resolution setting an ultimatum for Iraq to disarm or face war is before the U.N. Security Council, but at the emergency summit in the Azores Islands, Bush made no commitment to calling a vote or withdrawing the resolution. Bush said last week he would seek a council vote even if it appeared doomed to defeat.

Under U.N. rules, the United States and Britain must give 24-hour notice before calling a vote at the Security Council, making a Monday vote highly unlikely.

The Security Council was to meet Monday to discuss a proposal by France, Germany and Russia giving Iraq a 30-day timeframe to complete a series of disarmament tasks identified by chief U.N. inspector Blix. The plan doesn't include an ultimatum and is designed to prolong inspections.

Blix will present his 30-page work program Tuesday, along with the list of key remaining disarmament tasks he wants Iraq to complete. With the prospect of military action looming, the chief inspector also will decide whether to make another trip to Baghdad.

An effort by the United States, Britain and Spain to win U.N. backing for war appeared to fail last week with a majority of the council refusing to support their resolution and urging that it be withdrawn.

Many at the United Nations have already declared the diplomatic process dead and believe Bush will issue his own ultimatum to Iraq on Monday, when he returns from the summit in the Azores Islands.

But France, Russia and Germany, whose influential voices helped block the U.S.-backed resolution, still publicly pushed for an alternative to war. The issued a joint statement over the weekend calling for more time for inspectors.

On Sunday, French President Jacques Chirac went further, saying in an interview that he backed a 30-day timeframe but not an ultimatum demanded by Washington for Iraq to carry out a series of tasks Blix will identify in his next report.

But German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder refused to support Chirac's proposal, saying that U.N. weapons inspectors should be given all the time they want to disarm Iraq peacefully.

Iraq on Saturday invited Blix and fellow chief inspector Mohamed ElBaradei to Baghdad in a visit that the Iraq's U.N. ambassador, Mohammed AlDouri, said aimed to foster more cooperation with inspectors. But Secretary of State Colin Powell doubted such a trip could produce results.

Speaking on CNN's Late Edition, Powell said the remaining tasks Blix planned to identify were issues the "Iraqis could have resolved anytime over the past five, 10, 12 years, and they have not. That's the problem."

French diplomats in New York said their foreign minister, Dominique de Villepin, was planning to attend Blix's briefing Tuesday and may be joined in the Security Council by his German and Russian counterparts.

There was no immediate confirmation of such plans in Moscow. Officials in Berlin said they were waiting to gauge reaction to the 30-day offer before confirming.

Foreign ministers have attended four such Security Council meetings this year, a high-level display that was rare before the current Iraq crisis.

In November, the council unanimously passed Resolution 1441 to beef up inspections and issue Saddam Hussein a final opportunity to disarm and cooperate or face serious consequences.

The United States, Britain and Spain believe Saddam failed to use that chance to disarm peacefully. But France, Russia, Germany and many others on the council believe inspections, which according to Blix have produced some results and cooperation in the past four months, should continue. They see no justification to sanction war now.

According to U.N. officials familiar with working drafts of Blix's report, the inspector is developing a work program that envisions several more months of inspections, followed by a transition period to long-term monitoring of Iraq's weapons programs.

Blix has also said he would consult with the council president Monday about an Iraqi offer from Baghdad in the coming days.

In an interview published Sunday in the French weekly Journal du Dimanche, de Villepin said the proposal and others designed to speed up the peaceful disarmament of Iraq were being stonewalled by the U.S. military's inflexible timetable for an invasion of Iraq.

Military experts had said that February would have provided optimal weather conditions for battle in Iraq. The first half of March has brought sandstorms and the beginnings of stifling summer heat to the Persian Gulf region, where hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops are awaiting orders.

Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair say they already have the authority they need to wage war in Iraq. But U.N. backing would lend international legitimacy to their actions and ensure that the world body share the costs of reconstruction in a post-war Iraq.

U.N. support has been particularly crucial for Blair who faces a revolt inside his own party as well as public opposition to his pro-U.S. stand on Iraq.

In London, Blair's spokesman called the situation with the United Nations now "a diplomatic crisis," and said the prime minister was concerned about humanitarian issues and the clean-up after a war.

Bush says Monday is day of decision for any diplomatic solution to Iraq

SCOTT LINDLAW
Canadian Press

Sunday, March 16, 2003

LAJES, Azores Islands (AP) - U.S. President George W. Bush and allied leaders agreed on one final attempt to win world backing Monday for the swift disarmament of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. "Tomorrow is a moment of truth for the world," the president said at a Sunday summit with allies.

"Now we make a final appeal to make a strong, unified message on behalf of the international community," said British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who met with Bush and the leaders of Spain and Portugal in the Atlantic island summit.

Bush urged other nations to support "the immediate and unconditional disarmament" of the Iraqi leader. France, Germany and Russia have opposed an additional United Nations resolution to set an ultimatum for the Iraqi leader to disarm. And efforts to win the votes of uncommitted nations at the UN Security Council faltered in recent days.

The four men met at an American air base in the Azores, Portuguese territory in the Atlantic Ocean.

They gathered with more than 250,000 troops gathered in the Persian Gulf area poised to strike if and when the U.S. president gave the word.

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar said the agreement among the leaders marked "a last chance, one last attempt to reach the greatest possible consensus among ourselves."

Bush sounded like he didn't expect reluctant countries to change their minds.

Asked whether Monday was the day that would determine whether diplomacy could work, he replied, "That's what I'm saying."

"We hope tomorrow the UN will do its job," Bush said.

The president was scornful of France's role in the diplomatic tug of war that has unfolded in recent months.

Noting that he said 10 days ago he wanted the nations of the Security Council to show their cards, he said, "France showed their cards. After I said what I said, they said they were going to veto anything that held Saddam to account."

French President Jacques Chirac said earlier Sunday he was willing to accept a 30-day deadline for Iraq to disarm, provided the move was endorsed by UN weapons inspectors.

Two thousand miles away, Vice-President Dick Cheney brushed that suggestion aside in an appearance on NBC's Meet the Press, recounting a long list of French actions that he said had let Saddam avoid disarmament.

Blair noted that some nations oppose any ultimatum to Saddam.

The result, he said, is that the Iraqi leader is playing a game that "he has played over the last 12 years. Disarmament never happens, but instead the international community is drawn into some perpetual negotiation," he said.

"Now we have reached the point of decision," he said.

Portugal Prime Minister Jose Durao Barroso called the Azores summit "the last chance of a political solution. It may be a small chance, but if there is only one chance in a million it's worth trying this opportunity."

In Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said, "Is it time to bring the curtain down on this or is there some hope?" Cheney appeared to answer the question, saying, "There's no question but what we're close to the end, if you will, of the diplomatic efforts."

Cheney, among the senior administration officials who appeared on talk shows in Washington to stress the diplomatic push but also that war was nearing, said, "Clearly, the president's going to have to make a very, very difficult and important decision here in the next few days."

Asked if Bush were preparing a speech, spokesman Ari Fleischer said: "That is an option. I'm not going to predict the exact timing of it." White House officials said last week that an address, which they said could come as early as Monday, was expected to serve as a final ultimatum for Saddam to disarm or face war.

While saying that "a moment of truth is arriving," Powell suggested that the Iraqi president could avert a war in his country by fleeing to another nation along with his top lieutenants.

Powell said he thought there were countries that "would be willing to do that as their contribution to avoiding a war."

At the same time, he said he would advise weapons inspectors, humanitarian aid workers and journalists now in Baghdad "to take a hard look at the situation they are in, and it would be probably better for them to start leaving or making plans to leave."

The summit also had a more symbolic purpose: to show the three leaders - particularly Blair and Aznar, who need political cover at home for their much-criticized alliance with Bush - as willing to make perhaps a final diplomatic push to win international backing for war.

Still, the chances appeared slim of finding a way through the UN impasse.

A senior U.S. official acknowledged it would be nearly impossible to round up the necessary votes to win passage of the war resolution.

But the U.S. official said the leaders' gathering would remind the world that the three countries head a coalition ready to act soon.

"I'm not expecting, really, a new proposal," Powell said. "There is a good, solid proposal on the table now."

"Some members of the council, frankly, have not been that helpful in applying maximum pressure to Saddam Hussein for him to do so," Powell said.

France and its two allies in the anti-war bloc, Russia and Germany, said in a joint declaration Saturday that there was no justification to use force and to stop weapons inspections. They called for a foreign ministers' meeting Tuesday to discuss a "realistic" timetable for Saddam to disarm.

Powell said he was discussing the idea with colleagues in Spain and Britain.

France, others consider final options to prevent war
By Dafna Linzer
Associated Press Writer
updated: 03/16/2003 01:16 PM

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- As President Bush demanded the United Nations decide on war immediately, France and its allies prepared an initiative to give Iraq more time to prove it is disarming and Hans Blix put the finishing touches Sunday on a plan for months more of weapons inspections.

After meeting with the leaders of Britain and Spain -- his top allies in seeking military action -- Bush said that Monday was ``a moment of truth for the world'' and urged other nations to support ``the immediate and unconditional disarmament'' of Saddam Hussein.

A U.S.-backed resolution setting an ultimatum for Iraq to disarm or face war is before the U.N. Security Council, but at the emergency summit in the Azores Islands, Bush made no commitment to calling a vote or withdrawing the resolution. Bush said last week he would seek a council vote even if it appeared doomed to defeat.

Under U.N. rules, the United States and Britain must give 24-hour notice before calling a vote at the Security Council, making a Monday vote highly unlikely.

The Security Council was to meet Monday to discuss a proposal by France, Germany and Russia giving Iraq a 30-day timeframe to complete a series of disarmament tasks identified by chief U.N. inspector Blix. The plan doesn't include an ultimatum and is designed to prolong inspections.

Blix will present his 30-page work program Tuesday, along with the list of key remaining disarmament tasks he wants Iraq to complete. With the prospect of military action looming, the chief inspector also will decide whether to make another trip to Baghdad.

An effort by the United States, Britain and Spain to win U.N. backing for war appeared to fail last week with a majority of the council refusing to support their resolution and urging that it be withdrawn.

Many at the United Nations have already declared the diplomatic process dead and believe Bush will issue his own ultimatum to Iraq on Monday, when he returns from the summit in the Azores Islands.

But France, Russia and Germany, whose influential voices helped block the U.S.-backed resolution, still publicly pushed for an alternative to war. The issued a joint statement over the weekend calling for more time for inspectors.

On Sunday, French President Jacques Chirac went further, saying in an interview that he backed a 30-day timeframe -- but not an ultimatum demanded by Washington -- for Iraq to carry out a series of tasks Blix will identify in his next report.

But German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder refused to support Chirac's proposal, saying that U.N. weapons inspectors should be given all the time they want to disarm Iraq peacefully.

Iraq on Saturday invited Blix and fellow chief inspector Mohamed ElBaradei to Baghdad in a visit that the Iraq's U.N. ambassador, Mohammed AlDouri, said aimed to foster more cooperation with inspectors. But Secretary of State Colin Powell doubted such a trip could produce results.

Speaking on CNN's Late Edition, Powell said the remaining tasks Blix planned to identify were issues the ``Iraqis could have resolved anytime over the past five, 10, 12 years, and they have not. That's the problem.''

French diplomats in New York said their foreign minister, Dominique de Villepin, was planning to attend Blix's briefing Tuesday and may be joined in the Security Council by his German and Russian counterparts.

There was no immediate confirmation of such plans in Moscow. Officials in Berlin said they were waiting to gauge reaction to the 30-day offer before confirming.

Foreign ministers have attended four such Security Council meetings this year, a high-level display that was rare before the current Iraq crisis.

In November, the council unanimously passed Resolution 1441 to beef up inspections and issue Saddam Hussein a final opportunity to disarm and cooperate or face serious consequences.

The United States, Britain and Spain believe Saddam failed to use that chance to disarm peacefully. But France, Russia, Germany and many others on the council believe inspections, which according to Blix have produced some results and cooperation in the past four months, should continue. They see no justification to sanction war now.

According to U.N. officials familiar with working drafts of Blix's report, the inspector is developing a work program that envisions several more months of inspections, followed by a transition period to long-term monitoring of Iraq's weapons programs.

Blix has also said he would consult with the council president Monday about an Iraqi offer from Baghdad in the coming days.

In an interview published Sunday in the French weekly Journal du Dimanche, de Villepin said the proposal -- and others designed to speed up the peaceful disarmament of Iraq -- were being stonewalled by the U.S. military's inflexible timetable for an invasion of Iraq.

Military experts had said that February would have provided optimal weather conditions for battle in Iraq. The first half of March has brought sandstorms and the beginnings of stifling summer heat to the Persian Gulf region, where hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops are awaiting orders.

Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair say they already have the authority they need to wage war in Iraq. But U.N. backing would lend international legitimacy to their actions and ensure that the world body share the costs of reconstruction in a post-war Iraq.

U.N. support has been particularly crucial for Blair who faces a revolt inside his own party as well as public opposition to his pro-U.S. stand on Iraq.

In London, Blair's spokesman called the situation with the United Nations now ``a diplomatic crisis,'' and said the prime minister was concerned about humanitarian issues and the clean-up after a war.

Baghdad residents step up war preparations
Saddam places son, closest aides in charge of defense

By HAMZA HENDAWI
Associated Press Writer
March 16, 2003

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The United Nations flew most of its helicopters out of Iraq on Sunday, and Germany advised its citizens to leave the country immediately amid mounting fears of war with the United States.

Baghdad residents lined up for gasoline, and snapped up canned food and bottled water. People mobbed pharmacies to buy antibiotics and tranquilizers. Ruling Baath party officials supervised workers sandbagging fighting positions outside government buildings, including the city's main post office.

Saddam Hussein made his own preparations, sidestepping the military chain of command to place one of his sons and three other trusted aides in charge of the defense of the nation. The decree issued late Saturday placed Iraq on a war footing.

On Sunday, U.N. weapons inspectors flew five of their eight helicopters to Syria and then on to Cyprus after an insurance company suspended its coverage. Germany issued a new travel warning, urging its citizens to leave Iraq "immediately."

Other European diplomats, including those from Switzerland and Greece, were due to leave Monday, part of an expected exodus from the country's estimated 60 missions, diplomatic sources said Sunday.

The war preparations came as President Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar met in the Azores to determine their next moves after U.S.-led diplomacy failed to secure enough support for a U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing war.

"There's no question but what we're close to the end, if you will, of the diplomatic efforts," Vice President Dick Cheney said.

But France, Russia and Germany were still pushing for a resolution, proposing the Security Council set a timeline for Baghdad to fulfill disarmament tasks set by weapons inspectors.

French President Jacques Chirac, whose country frustrated the U.S. efforts with a threatened veto, said Sunday he was willing to accept a 30-day deadline _ though not an ultimatum that could trigger war.

Saddam, meanwhile, reorganized his country to fight a war, dividing it into four regions and placing his son Qusai and three political aides in charge of them.

The decree by the Revolutionary Command Council _ Iraq's highest executive body _ signaled the Iraqi leader was choosing loyalty above professional military skill. The move will make it more difficult for generals to defect and take their units with them since command rests in political hands.

The Council's decree placed Qusai in charge of the regime's heartland _ Baghdad and the president's hometown of Tikrit. Qusai has for years been in charge of the elite Republican Guard Corps and his father's own personal security. That has led many to speculate that he could be his father's successor.

Saddam's cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid was put in charge of the key southern sector facing U.S. and British troops massed in Kuwait. Al-Majid _ known by his opponents as Chemical Ali _ led the 1988 campaign against rebellious Kurds in northern Iraq in which thousands of Kurds died, many in chemical attacks.

Saddam's deputy, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, was placed in command of the strategic northern region. An area that includes the Shiite Muslim holy sites of Karbala and Najaf was placed under Mazban Khader Hadi, a member of the ruling Council.

Saddam himself retained sole authority to order the use of surface-to-surface missiles and aviation resources, the decree said.

With nearly 300,000 U.S. and British troops in the Gulf ready to strike, Iraq had been emboldened by stiff opposition to war at the Security Council, where France and other nations have insisted inspectors should be given more time.

An Iraqi newspaper, Al-Jumhuriya, on Sunday gloated over the opposition to U.S. plans, saying the "arrogance of force" shown by Bush and Blair would not achieve any goals because "Iraq is more prepared than ever to confront and defeat any aggression."

Even as it braced for conflict, the government destroyed two more of its banned Al Samoud missiles, bringing the number destroyed to 70 since Iraq met a March 1 deadline to destroy the rockets after they were found to exceed the 93-mile range set by the United Nations.

Iraq also handed over videotapes of mobile biological weapons laboratories to inspectors. Iraq says the videos show the laboratories do not violate U.N. resolutions.

Iraq's Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, said presidential adviser Amer al-Saadi sent an 82-page report to chief weapons inspector Hans Blix containing results from soil samples taken from an area where Baghdad claims to have unilaterally destroyed its stocks of the chemical agent VX in 1991. The results back up Iraq's claim, the ministry said.

Al Saadi, Iraq's point man on disarmament, on Saturday invited Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the U.N. atomic agency, to visit Baghdad as soon as possible to settle outstanding issues. The two have yet to reply to the invitation.

Inspectors also visited a technology college in the town of Karbala south of Baghdad, according to the Information Ministry.

"It's still business as usual," said Hiro Ueki, the U.N. inspectors' spokesman in Baghdad.

Diplomacy on Iraq Nearing End, U.S. Says
Sun March 16, 2003 03:16 PM ET

By Steve Holland
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (Reuters) - Vice President Dick Cheney said the United States was "close to the end of the diplomatic efforts" to disarm Iraq and President Bush would be deciding soon on whether to take military action.

The U.S. president, facing dogged resistance at the United Nations Security Council, conferred with British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar at an American air base on the Portuguese islands of the Azores.

Bush, Blair and Aznar are the co-authors of a draft U.N. resolution that would set the stage for war on Iraq. The measure is the subject of a bitter Security Council fight and appears doomed to fail after French and Russian veto threats.

Secretary of State Colin Powell, appearing on Sunday talk shows from Washington where he stayed behind to coordinate international reaction, said he did not expect any new proposal to emerge from the 11th-hour diplomatic session.

"I'm not expecting, really, a new proposal," Powell said.

Powell did not say whether the United States would withdraw the second resolution, which has failed to garner support and forced the extraordinary weekend conference at Portugal's windswept Azores islands.

Powell also warned U.N. weapons inspectors, journalists and others in the Iraqi capital they should consider leaving Baghdad because of a possible U.S.-led attack and because Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein could take them hostage.

"I think it is a dangerous time in Baghdad and each person in Baghdad ... has to take a look at whether or not it is not time to leave," Powell told CNN's "Late Edition."

As word also emerged of a possible compromise on the part of France, one of the fiercest opponents to any quick military action, Cheney told NBC's "Meet the Press" that additional delays would not resolve the stand-off with Saddam, whom he said has continued to rebuff international demands he give up his alleged weapons of mass destruction.

In a television interview, French President Jacques Chirac signaled a willingness to give Iraq a month or two more to disarm or face attack.

MORE TIME NON-STARTER

Cheney, however, said it was a non-starter. "It's difficult for us to believe that 30 days or 60 more days are going to change anything."

"There is no question we are close to the end of the diplomatic efforts," Cheney added. ".... Clearly the president is going to have to make a very, very difficult and important decision in the next few days."

On board Air Force One, White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said "diplomacy is coming to a conclusion," and that the summit was intended "to explore where we are, where we're going."

"All options are on the table .... We'll see precisely when diplomacy comes to an end, and this meeting will help to determine that course," he told reporters accompanying Bush.

On Saturday, the president himself played down the chances of averting war, even as Iraq said it wanted U.N. chief weapons inspectors Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei to visit Baghdad as soon as possible to discuss pending disarmament issues.

Barring a last-minute compromise in the Security Council, the White House would quickly shift to a war footing.

Saddam put Iraq on that footing on Saturday night, with a decree dividing the country into four military districts under his command and ordering them to "destroy any foreign aggression."

Soon after the summit, Bush could address the nation, issuing what amounts to a final ultimatum to Saddam and giving aid workers time to leave Iraq before military action starts.

Final preparations for war were already under way.

More U.S. warships were en route to the Gulf region, where 250,000 U.S. and British troops are poised to strike at Saddam over his alleged weapons of mass destruction.

Iraq denies it has such weapons.

"There is little reason to hope that Saddam Hussein will disarm," Bush said in his weekly radio address. "If force is required to disarm him, the American people can know that our armed forces have been given every tool and every resource to achieve victory."

The summit at Lajes on the island of Terceira should be considered an effort to find Security Council unity in hopes of forcing Saddam to give up power without war, not a war council, U.S. officials said.

"Crucial days lie ahead for the free nations of the world," Bush said. "Governments are now showing whether their stated commitments to liberty and security are words alone -- or convictions they're prepared to act upon."

Though Bush last week said he would force a final vote in the U.N. Security Council, officials have since indicated the effort might be abandoned, contending that November's U.N. Resolution 1441 is mandate enough to invade Iraq.

But Blair, facing his greatest political crisis, is anxious for U.N. support to soothe the majority of Britons, who oppose any military action without U.N. approval, polls show.

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