PARIS, 6 March 2003 — France and Russia gave notice yesterday that they were prepared to block US attempts at the UN Security Council to win backing for war on Iraq as Turkey appeared set for a change of heart over the deployment of American troops on its territory.
But even if Paris or Moscow took the crucial step of using their power of veto in a UN vote, the Americans are unlikely to allow the setback to put the brakes on an attack on Baghdad as a leading member of the administration asserted no second UN resolution was necessary.
France and Russia gave their clearest hint yet that either or both could use their Council vetoes if necessary. After talks in Paris with his German and Russian counterparts, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said: “We will not allow a draft resolution authorizing the recourse to force to pass.” He added categorically: “There will be no second resolution authorizing the use of force.”
France and Russia “will assume all their responsibilities” in the Security Council, where each has veto power, de Villepin said. Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov added: “The possibilities for a political settlement exist, even if there is just one chance to avoid war. The path we are proposing is the most reasonable one.”
Ivanov said “our Chinese partners share our approach,” evoking the possible direction Beijing — another veto-wielding member on the Security Council — may take if the US draft is put to a vote.
Anti-war Turkish lawmakers who blocked the deployment of US troops in Turkey appeared to be changing their minds ahead of a possible second vote in Parliament.
The powerful Turkish Army threw its weight behind the deployment of US forces in the country, saying Ankara would otherwise lose both vital US financial aid and a say in shaping post-war Iraq. But even before the army chief spoke out, members of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) reported that opinion in the Islamist-rooted movement had begun to swing in favor of backing the United States.
“There are many who say they have changed their opinion and will vote in favor if a second vote is held,” senior AKP legislator Vahit Erdem told AFP.
But US Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control Stephen Rademaker said in Moscow that no second resolution was needed for the United States to launch war.
