Russians, French Ready to Use Veto Against U.S.
March 11, 2003
The Russians started the diplomatic rebellion on Monday. Ending the ambiguity of the past, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov made clear that his country would use its veto power to block any resolution that gives Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein a March 17 deadline to disarm.
"In the course of the latest session of the U.N. Security Council, we did not hear serious arguments for the use of force to solve the Iraqi problem," said Ivanov (photo).
"Russia believes that no further resolutions of the U.N. Security Council are necessary, and therefore Russia openly declares that if the draft resolution that currently has been introduced for consideration and which contains demands in an ultimate form that cannot be met is nonetheless put to a vote then Russia will vote against this resolution."
Chirac announces his opposition
Later in the day, French President Jacques Chirac joined the protest in dramatic fashion. In a chat with two leading French journalists on national television, Chirac let President George W. Bush know that France was also ready to wield its veto in a drive to fell the U.S.-British resolution.
"France will vote 'no' because she considers tonight that there is no reason to wage a war to reach the goal we set ourselves, that is the disarmament of Iraq," Chirac said.
The one-two punch delivered by two of the five members on the U.N. Security Council forced the United States to alter its timetable for a up-or-down vote on the resolution. In a news conference Monday, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer opened the door to the possibility of further changes in the wording of the resolution, or the March 17 deadline. Fleischer also said that a showdown Security Council vote would not come Tuesday, as previously expected, but could come anytime later in the week.
The veto threats also confronted Bush with the growing possibility that he will have to ignore the United Nations as the sole international body that can authorize a war if he wants to overthrow Saddam. Over the weekend, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice made clear in television interview that Bush was ready to move toward war -- with or without U.N. backing.
Extra Time for Inspectors Sought
The opposition expressed by Russia, France and Germany is aimed at gaining more time for the U.N. weapons inspectors in Iraq. The Russians, for instance, have said reports to the Security Council show that Iraq is cooperating and that progress toward its disarmament is being made.
While European opponents of the United States are solidifying their ranks, British Prime Minister Tony Blair is watching his support at home crack.
His international development secretary, Clare Short, described Blair (photo) as "reckless" on Sunday and said she would resign if there was no second U.N. resolution for an invasion. "I will not uphold a breach of international law or this undermining of the U.N., and I will resign from the government," Short said.
Her threat came as one junior government member resigned from his post amid speculation that four others could follow as Blair's Labour Party faced its biggest internal rift since it came to power in 1997. More than 120 Labour parliamentarians recently voted against the government over war against Iraq, and more are expected to join the revolt if there is no support from the United Nations.
In Germany, Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and his coalition partner, the Greens, have been united in fighting against a possible war in Iraq. But on Monday a potential point of disagreement emerged between the two partners over U.S. use of German airspace during a war that was not sanctioned by the United Nations.
Schröder has promised the Americans that he would allow them to use their bases in the country as well as German airpsace. But a co-leader of the Greens, Angelika Beer, questioned in an interview published on Monday whether Schröder could grant use rights. "There will have to be a discussion among other NATO partners who, like Germany, don't want to support the American-British resolution in the Security Council," Beer told the newspaper Die Welt.
After hearing about the interview, a spokesman for the chancellor, Bela Anda, said Schröder would stand behind his pledge. And the Greens' other co-leader, Reinhard Bütikofer, contradicted Beer. "There are no differences of opinion between the Greens and the federal government," Bütikofer said.