Blair Calls German, French Effort Absurd

The speech on Tuesday was considered to be one of the most important ones that British Prime Minister Tony Blair has delivered since he took office in 1997. And he made clear what he thought of the new European attempts to extend the mission of U.N. inspectors in Iraq.

The idea is absurd, Blair told the assembled members of parliament. "This is not a road to peace, but folly and weakness which will only mean that when the conflict comes, it will be more bloody, less certain and greater in its devastation," Blair said.

The speech comes at a crucial time for the prime minister, an unwavering supporter of President George W. Bush and his drive to wage war against Iraq in an effort to disarm the regime of Saddam Hussein. On Wednesday, members of the British parliament will debate a government motion that tells Saddam that he has his "final opportunity" to get rid of his weapons of mass destruction.

Anti-war critics told the British Broadcasting Corp. that at least 80 MPs will rebel against the government's hard-line stance when the Parliament votes.

Later on Tuesday, Blair met with German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, another European supporter of further inspections. Afterward, Fischer said the two countries were unable to end their differences of opinion.

The meeting was one of many diplomatic efforts being held on the day after the United States, Britain and Spain announced that they would file a second resolution in the U.N. Security Council that declares that Iraq has missed its chance to peacefully disarm.

Germans, French talk strategy

Shortly after that announcement was made, German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and French President Jacques Chirac met in a Berlin restaurant called "The Court of Final Appeal" to discuss their latest effort in the world's highest-ranking court of appeal to block a U.S.-led effort to invade Iraq.

After completing their meal of pork and sauerkraut, Schröder and Chirac stepped before a crowd of journalists gathered outside the 382-year-old restaurant to let Bush and Blair know that they planned to build a new line of defense against their efforts. As part of this diplomatic resistance, Germany, France and Russia have introduced their own U.N. proposal designed to achieve the peaceful disarmament of Iraq by extending the inspectors' stay.

Leaders condemn war

Standing on a small podium outside the restaurant, Schröder and Chirac spelled out their reasons for stiffening their opposition to the resolution introduced by the United States, Britain and Spain on Monday.

"Perhaps one of the differences between old Europe and others is that the European people know deep in their collective conscience what war actually means," Schröder said, making a passing reference to criticism raised by U.S.
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. "And because of this awareness, you can better understand what binds the
French and Germans in the hope, expectation and fight to disarm Iraq in a peaceful fashion."

Chirac acknowledged that Iraq posed a danger to the Middle East and perhaps to the world. "But the disarmament of Iraq must be carried out peacefully," Chirac said. "War is in moral, human, economic and political terms the worst of all solutions."

Under the plan presented by Germany, France and Russia, inspections would extend beyond July 1, when the summer heat would make fighting more difficult.

The memorandum won immediate backing from China, despite Secretary of State Colin Powell's lobbying efforts with top officials in Beijing this week.France is a permanent member of the Security Council and could veto the U.S.
resolution. Germany is a temporary member of the council and holds its presidency this month.

Schröder planned to continue his efforts on Wednesday, flying to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

German opposition leader backs Bush

The opposing plans were being introduced in the United Nations on the same day that Angela Merkel, the chairwoman of Germany's biggest opposition party, was being warmly welcomed in Washington by leaders of the Bush administration who have been snubbing Schröder because of his opposition to their Iraq plans.

Merkel, who leads the Christian Democratic Union, met with Vice President Dick Cheney, Rumsfeld and security adviser Condoleezza Rice. Unlike Schröder, Merkel said she stood behind the Bush administration's latest resolution.

"The military threat (against Iraq) must continue to be
increased," Merkel said at a news conference. "And I view a second U.N. resolution exactly in the context of increasing the threat of violence and the military might confronting Saddam Hussein."

In a bid to win support from war-wary council members, the draft resolution doesn't explicitly call for an authorization of war, though U.S. and British diplomats say it is implicit.
Instead, the resolution -- acting under a section of the U.N. Charter that makes resolutions militarily enforceable -- recalls the tough language that the council agreed to when it passed Resolution 1441 three months ago.

The new draft also recalls that 1441 already found that "Iraq has been and remains in material breach of its obligations," and notes that Iraq's 12,000-page declaration to U.N. weapons inspectors in December contained "false statements and omissions."

Saddam expresses resistance to demand

The resolution and the response from Germany, France and Russia were filed as a deadline neared on a related issue that could give the United States a reason to invade Iraq. Saddam has until Saturday to begin destroying all of the
country's Al Samoud 2 missiles, which chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix says go beyond the range limit set by the Security Council in resolutions adopted after the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

But in an interview with CBS anchor Dan Rather to be aired Wednesday, Saddam indicated that he did not intend to destroy the missiles. CBS quoted Saddam as saying: "Iraq is allowed to prepare proper missiles, and we are committed
to that."