(New York Times) The White House said President Bush would force a vote by the end of the week in the Security Council on an American-backed resolution giving an ultimatum to Saddam Hussein. White House officials said Mr. Bush wanted a vote despite France's pledge to veto a resolution on Iraq and doubts about whether the U.S. can even muster the nine votes needed to adopt a resolution in the absence of a veto. Britain was seeking a compromise that could attract at least eight or nine votes, driven in part by growing domestic pressure on Prime Minister Tony Blair not to join in military action alongside the U.S. without UN authorization. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Tuesday that the U.S. could proceed militarily without Britain if necessary.
2003-03-12 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive