Washington: US Secretary of State Colin Powell has warned the international
community not to let Iraqi President Saddam Hussein split it into "arguing
factions", even as France, Germany and Russia joined hands to block the US-backed
resolution on Iraq in the Security Council.
"Iraq's too-little too-late gestures are meant not just to deceive and delay action
by the international community, he has as one of his major goals to divide the
international community, to split us into arguing factions. That effort must fail,"
Powell said on March 5 in a hastily-arranged speech to a foreign policy
group.
He said that Iraq had let go of the "one last chance" to avoid the "serious
consequences" the Council had threatened if Iraq fails to disarm.
Powell insisted that the only real issue left is whether Saddam has made a strategic
decision, a political decision, to give up "these horrible weapons of mass
destruction".
Powell's speech to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies was hastily
arranged as a diplomatic battle raged over a new US-Britain-Spain sponsored Security
Council resolution on Iraq two days ahead of the UN chief weapons inspector Hans
Blix's briefing to the world body on latest developments on Iraqi
disarmament.
Earlier, the Foreign Ministers of France, Germany and Russia joined forces in vowing
to block the US-backed resolution. France and Russia have the veto power in the
Security Council.
"There are divisions among us," Powell said, adding "if these divisions continue,
they will convince Saddam Hussein that he is right. But I assure you, he is
wrong."
PTI
