The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
should
continue to work for even the slightest likelihood of a
peaceful outcome …
the Council
should consider and approve the work programme and key
tasks …
It was
up to the inspectors to set the timetable … if they said a month
was necessary,
France
could live with that. In accordance with 1441 the Council would
then evaluate
the
situation. Automaticity was difficult for the French, as for the
majority, as it
allowed for
the use of force without a Council decision. We should continue to
work
for
peaceful disarmament – the basis supported by the majority of the
delegations
and of the
world.”
739.
Sir Jeremy
also reported:
•
Germany
wanted the work programme to be discussed and approved: “As
there
was not
much difference between the UK proposal and the key tasks, it
could,
even at
this late hour, lead to consensus.”
•
Spain had
“concurred” with Sir Jeremy’s intervention.
•
Syria had
argued that there was another course which would have led
to
peaceful
disarmament and supported the Russian position.
•
China
stated that if “withdrawing the resolution signalled a push for
war, this
was very
regrettable. Avoiding war was in the interest of all
sides.”
•
Chile
“continued to believe that inspections and the persistent threat of
force
could have
achieved peaceful disarmament”. It had made a proposal
“along
the lines
in the UK compromise and designed to bridge the gap between
the
different
parties”, but it had been “rejected within half an
hour”.
•
Mexico
stated that there was “no justification or implicit authorisation
for the
use of
force”.
•
Bulgaria
was “open to any initiative that might restore unity”.
•
Angola
stated that it had “always believed that all alternatives should
be
exhausted
before war. Unfortunately, this now appeared to be the
case.”
If the proposed
ministerial meeting “was just one more meeting we should
let
things calm
down first. If it could help to find a way forward, even at this
late
hour, that
was another matter.”
•
Cameroon
appealed for dialogue, stating that the “failure to agree was
a
disservice
to multilateralism and the Council”. The draft Presidential
statement
from the
“undecided six” would have been “a platform for
compromise”.
•
Guinea
“hoped for a miracle”.
•
Pakistan
said that members should “continue to explore all possible
approaches
for a
unified Council. The Council should accept the work programme
and
continue to
appeal for a positive response from Iraq, even at this late
stage.”
530