U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said the United Nations must pass a strong new resolution on Iraq before UN inspectors go back into Baghdad.
"The U.S. will continue to pursue a new UN resolution," Powell told reporters in a rare briefing.
The U.S. draft resolution, if adopted, could delay the start of inspections by several weeks. Chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix had earlier proposed a mid-October date.
Earlier Tuesday, the UN inspectors and Iraq agreed on details to allow weapons inspectors to resume. Blix said in Vienna that Iraq had accepted all inspection rights under current UN resolutions.
However, the inspectors would be restricted by the terms of a previous agreement, which restricts inspectors from access to eight presidential palace sites.
Powell told reporters that Blix and his team "are deserving of the strongest possible authority and the ability to do their job and do their right and that will only come with a new resolution that keeps the pressure up."
The deal to restrict weapons inspectors from the presidential palace sites was negotiated by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 1998 in an attempt to salvage the inspections mission and was agreed to by the United States.
Only the Security Council can annul Annan's resolution, and the U.S. is now lobbying for complete unfettered access to all sites.
"We do not believe (inspectors) should go in until they have new instructions in the form of a new resolution," Powell said.
The draft is currently under discussion by Security Council members. According to the draft obtained by Reuters, the resolution must be submitted "prior to the beginning of inspections."
Other elements of the draft are similar to earlier reports, in that the resolution seeks permission for Washington to launch military action against Iraq if the country fails to disclose any programs designed to develop weapons of mass destruction.
The U.S. is lobbying the 10 rotating UN Security Council members for support of the resolution, which needs nine votes in favour and no veto from the council's five permanent members -- the U.S., Britain, France, Russia and China.
While Britain backs the resolution, France, Russia and China have all expressed reservations.
France is pushing a competing draft proposal that leaves out any threat of consequences. The French proposal says "any serious failure by Iraq to comply with its obligations" would lead to an immediate Security Council meeting to "consider any measure to ensure full compliance."
Graham supports resolution
While Canada does not have a seat on the UN Security Council, the government again backed the resolution brought forward by the U.S. and Britain.
Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham told the House that Canada backs a strong UN resolution that will spell out the consequences to Saddam Hussein.
"Now we must show that the UN can in fact assume the proper role and demonstrate its effectiveness by resolving the crisis," Graham told the House in an emergency debate Tuesday night. "And we must give it the opportunity to do so."
He said a clear Security Council resolution would achieve two main objectives: It would give Iraq a final chance to fully comply with UN inspections and would set out the consequences if Iraq fails to do so.
"We must not lose sight of the absolute need to make Saddam Hussein understand the choice he faces. He can comply...or he can continue to flout the international legal obligations and face the determination of the world community," Graham said.
However, he said war would bring severe consequences to the rest of the world -- destabilizing the Middle East, as well as Afghanistan, Indonesia, India and Malaysia.
"We are aware of the gravity of the situation, but we are also aware of the dangers that a conflict would bring to the greater region. And what would likely be the terrible human cost," Graham said.
The inspection deal came after two days of talks in Vienna and amid continued sabre-rattling by British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Earlier, Blair called on international leaders to issue an ultimatum threatening force unless Iraq eliminates weapons of mass destruction.
"Let us lay down the ultimatum," Blair said in an uncompromising speech to his governing Labour party. "Let (Iraqi President Saddam Hussein) comply with the will of the UN."
Blair echoed U.S. President George Bush in saying that the credibility of the UN is at stake unless the world is prepared to back up its call for Iraqi disarmament with force.
"If we lose our collective will to deal with it, we will lose the authority not of the United States or of Britain but of the United Nations," Blair said.
Meanwhile, the Bush administration continued to encounter difficulty in convincing U.S. lawmakers to give it complete authority to attack Iraq if necessary. Bush said Tuesday he fears a congressional measure authorizing force against Iraq could "tie my hands."
The draft resolution would make clear that dismantling any Iraqi weapons of mass destruction would be the primary reason for military action. Bush wants support for a "regime change" in Baghdad.
"The U.S. will continue to pursue a new UN resolution," Powell told reporters in a rare briefing.
The U.S. draft resolution, if adopted, could delay the start of inspections by several weeks. Chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix had earlier proposed a mid-October date.
Earlier Tuesday, the UN inspectors and Iraq agreed on details to allow weapons inspectors to resume. Blix said in Vienna that Iraq had accepted all inspection rights under current UN resolutions.
However, the inspectors would be restricted by the terms of a previous agreement, which restricts inspectors from access to eight presidential palace sites.
Powell told reporters that Blix and his team "are deserving of the strongest possible authority and the ability to do their job and do their right and that will only come with a new resolution that keeps the pressure up."
The deal to restrict weapons inspectors from the presidential palace sites was negotiated by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 1998 in an attempt to salvage the inspections mission and was agreed to by the United States.
Only the Security Council can annul Annan's resolution, and the U.S. is now lobbying for complete unfettered access to all sites.
"We do not believe (inspectors) should go in until they have new instructions in the form of a new resolution," Powell said.
The draft is currently under discussion by Security Council members. According to the draft obtained by Reuters, the resolution must be submitted "prior to the beginning of inspections."
Other elements of the draft are similar to earlier reports, in that the resolution seeks permission for Washington to launch military action against Iraq if the country fails to disclose any programs designed to develop weapons of mass destruction.
The U.S. is lobbying the 10 rotating UN Security Council members for support of the resolution, which needs nine votes in favour and no veto from the council's five permanent members -- the U.S., Britain, France, Russia and China.
While Britain backs the resolution, France, Russia and China have all expressed reservations.
France is pushing a competing draft proposal that leaves out any threat of consequences. The French proposal says "any serious failure by Iraq to comply with its obligations" would lead to an immediate Security Council meeting to "consider any measure to ensure full compliance."
Graham supports resolution
While Canada does not have a seat on the UN Security Council, the government again backed the resolution brought forward by the U.S. and Britain.
Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham told the House that Canada backs a strong UN resolution that will spell out the consequences to Saddam Hussein.
"Now we must show that the UN can in fact assume the proper role and demonstrate its effectiveness by resolving the crisis," Graham told the House in an emergency debate Tuesday night. "And we must give it the opportunity to do so."
He said a clear Security Council resolution would achieve two main objectives: It would give Iraq a final chance to fully comply with UN inspections and would set out the consequences if Iraq fails to do so.
"We must not lose sight of the absolute need to make Saddam Hussein understand the choice he faces. He can comply...or he can continue to flout the international legal obligations and face the determination of the world community," Graham said.
However, he said war would bring severe consequences to the rest of the world -- destabilizing the Middle East, as well as Afghanistan, Indonesia, India and Malaysia.
"We are aware of the gravity of the situation, but we are also aware of the dangers that a conflict would bring to the greater region. And what would likely be the terrible human cost," Graham said.
The inspection deal came after two days of talks in Vienna and amid continued sabre-rattling by British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Earlier, Blair called on international leaders to issue an ultimatum threatening force unless Iraq eliminates weapons of mass destruction.
"Let us lay down the ultimatum," Blair said in an uncompromising speech to his governing Labour party. "Let (Iraqi President Saddam Hussein) comply with the will of the UN."
Blair echoed U.S. President George Bush in saying that the credibility of the UN is at stake unless the world is prepared to back up its call for Iraqi disarmament with force.
"If we lose our collective will to deal with it, we will lose the authority not of the United States or of Britain but of the United Nations," Blair said.
Meanwhile, the Bush administration continued to encounter difficulty in convincing U.S. lawmakers to give it complete authority to attack Iraq if necessary. Bush said Tuesday he fears a congressional measure authorizing force against Iraq could "tie my hands."
The draft resolution would make clear that dismantling any Iraqi weapons of mass destruction would be the primary reason for military action. Bush wants support for a "regime change" in Baghdad.
