United Nations: The United States, Britain and Spain laid down a bold challenge to
the sharply divided UN Security Council on March 7 to act on Iraq, proposing that it
either find Baghdad in full compliance with disarmament demands within 10 days or in
effect authorise war.
But even before the deadline was formally offered by British Foreign Secretary Jack
Straw, permanent Council member France, a staunch opponent of the use of force,
rejected it.
The proposal, contained in an amendment to a hotly contested draft resolution put
forward by Britain, Spain and the United States on February 24, would force the
Council to declare that Iraq is fully complying with UN disarmament demands by March
17.
If the Council does not do so, Iraq would be found to have failed to take its final
chance to disarm peacefully.
Iraq would then be subject to the "serious consequences" the Council warned of in
resolution 1441, which it passed in November.
Agencies
