U.S. Is Firm, Bush Insists

As a parade of U.N. ambassadors added their voices to the chorus of global protests that took place over the weekend, President Bush said Tuesday that broad opposition to a war with Iraq won’t deter White House plans to disarm Saddam Hussein -- by force, if necessary.

“I welcome people’s right to say what they believe,” Bush told reporters. But he added that he had to “respectfully disagree” with those who think the Iraqi president is not a threat to peace.

“The role of a leader is to decide policy based upon the security -- in this case, the security of the people,” Bush said.

But the show of resistance to war may be slowing U.S.-British efforts to craft a second U.N. resolution authorizing military force against Iraq.

U.S. officials were noncommittal Tuesday about when -- or even if -- they would introduce a draft.

“It could take place as soon as this week,” White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said. “It could be next week. The timing will be determined as a result of the ongoing conversations within our government and with the allies.”

At the United Nations, 70 nonvoting members lined up to have their say in a special Security Council session that will continue through this evening. Most of the 27 ambassadors who addressed Tuesday’s session -- including key Muslim representatives Jordan, Iran and the Arab League -- urged that weapons inspections be given a full chance before force is used to disarm Iraq, but they also pressed Baghdad to show more cooperation.

“Resorting to war without fully exhausting all other options represents an admission of failure by the Security Council in carrying out its mandate of maintaining international peace and security,” said South African Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo, who had requested the meeting on behalf of the U.N.’s 155 nonaligned members.

Only Australia, Kuwait and Japan appeared to support the U.S. and British stance that Hussein has squandered his chance for the peaceful disarmament of his country.

“It is patently clear ... that Iraq is in further material breach of its obligations,” Australian Ambassador John Dauth said. “We cannot allow a tyrant to evade a council’s decisions. The Security Council must stand united around what is fundamental and not on distractions. It must act decisively to ensure that after 12 years

U.S. and British diplomats say they hope to present the Security Council with a second resolution soon but are still working on language they hope the entire 15-member council can agree on by month’s end.

Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair appeared to differ on the importance of a second resolution. Despite his willingness to seek Security Council approval for military force, the president exuded impatience with the slow-moving process in New York.

“We want to work with our friends and allies to see if we can get a second resolution. That’s what we’re doing right now,” Bush said. “As I say, it would be helpful to get one out. It’s not necessary, as far as I’m concerned.”

Asked if the U.S. would seek an explicit ultimatum for Hussein to comply, Bush replied: “Well, you mean another, another, another last chance? He knows my feelings. And that is he needs to disarm -- completely, totally disarm.”

In Britain, Blair said that he wants U.N. backing for war but took pains to respond to mounting antiwar sentiment in Britain and across Europe.

“We are not at the point of decision yet,” he said. “All I ask people to do is to listen to the other side of the argument. I do not have a monopoly of wisdom on this.”

Blair said it is his duty to do what he believes is right, even if it makes him unpopular and puts his leadership at risk. But he also predicted that most of last weekend’s antiwar marchers around the world will ultimately come around to view forceable disarmament as the right moral choice.

“There are certain circumstances where you have to say to people, ‘This is what I believe, and this is what I think is right,’ ” he said. “There are situations in politics where you can maneuver your way around certain issues. That is part of politics. But there are certain issues, particularly where there are issues of life and death, where your job and duty is to say to people, ‘This is honestly what I think,’ and they have to make up their minds.”

Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix is to give a written update to the Security Council at the end of the month on inspectors’ progress and Iraq’s cooperation, and U.S. and British diplomats have said they hope to have agreement on a resolution by the time he reports. But French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin has proposed another Security Council meeting March 14, and negotiations could well stretch out that long if that’s what it takes to get France on board, diplomats say.

By then, the United States would have ample troops and equipment in place to sustain a war in Iraq.

But before making a final decision about launching a strike on Iraq, administration officials said Tuesday, Bush is willing to devote up to several more weeks to diplomacy in search of broader international backing for a possible war -- with an absolute deadline of the end of March.