New Peace Initiative Unveiled Before Crisis Summit

All eyes turn to the emergency summit on Iraq in the Azores islands off Portugal on Sunday, March 16, 2003, where U.S. President Bush is meeting with the British and Spanish Prime Ministers, Tony Blair and Jose Maria Aznar for what is seen by many as a prelude to war.

But in a sign that opponents of the war are still determined to give diplomacy another chance to avert a military invasion in Iraq, France, Russia and Germany-- the most vocal supporters of a peaceful resolution of the crisis -- called for an urgent meeting of foreign ministers at the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday to discuss what they describe as a "realistic" timetable for Saddam Hussein to disarm.

Declaration sees "realistic" time plan for disarmament

A joint communiqué issued by the three nations said that a summit of foreign ministers from the 15-nation Security Council should be called on Tuesday, after weapons inspectors give the Security Council a report on what Iraq must do to meet disarmament demands on Monday.

The joint announcement further says that on the basis of the results of the latest inspectors' report, a time plan should be drawn up for Iraq that "sets high demands and which at the same time is realistic". China, a permanent member of the Security Council, is believed to support the proposal.

"We fervently appeal to all the members of the U.N. Security Council to do everything to stick to a peaceful path, suggested by the Security Council and which is supported by the overwhelming majority of the international community," the communiqué says further.

Elaborating on the joint declaration, French Foreign Minister, Dominique de Villepin said, "Mr Blix has set out the key tasks for the disarmament of Iraq. That means he has given the international community a very precise timetable. We believe this timetable and these proposals should be examined at the ministerial level, and we should define the tasks at hand together in a reasonable way."

Villepin added that a rapid rethink was necessary because he was now convinced that Washington was now working on the basis that the war would start within a couple of days.

America ready for war

On Saturday in his weekly radio address, President Bush appeared to brace the American people for war.

"There is little reason to hope that Saddam Hussein will disarm. 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."

U.S. sources have already said that military preparations for a possible invasion of Iraq are now in their final stages. The U.S. has deployed around 225,000 military personnel in the Gulf region and Britain has committed some 45,000. Strike forces include dozens of warships and nearly 600 attack planes.

Aznar says war is legal

In another sign that war could now be just a matter of days away, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar said in an interview broadcast on Sunday a further United Nations resolution on Iraq was not necessary to provide a legal basis for waging war.

"A further resolution would be politically desirable. But from the legal point of view it is not indispensable," Aznar told BBC Television.

"In my opinion … taking into consideration all resolutions from 687 to 1441, there is a possibility of going to war if necessary," he said. Resolution 687 was passed at the end of the 1991 Gulf War, while 1441 was voted late last year, demanding Saddam Hussein disarm or face "serious consequences."

"We have done everything in our power to reach a consensus on the Security Council," Aznar said. "We cannot do anything about those countries who said they would veto a resolution whatever its contents. Obviously it's going to be difficult to change their minds."

Britain insists summit not "council of war"

Meanwhile Britain was at pains to insist that the summit with the U.S. and Spain on Sunday was not a "council of war" and that it would look into several options, including a possible peaceful solution to the crisis.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown also said that there was a legal basis for going to war with or without a new U.N. resolution.

"The issue about the resolution is of course one of the subjects being discussed this afternoon," Brown told the BBC. "I believe there are options still available to us and these will be discussed today with President Bush… to see if we can resolve this issue without military action."