Blair launches offensive to win UN backing for war

Tony Blair will launch "a last push for peace" this week and will warn Saddam Hussein that he has one final chance to avoid war before a UN Security Council vote clears the way for military action.

America and Britain were involved in frenetic, behind-the-scenes arm-twisting last night in preparation for the tabling of a second resolution in the Security Council – possibly as early as today.

Washington and London spent much of the weekend trying to persuade reluctant members of the Council to vote in favour of a resolution authorising the use of force to oust Saddam Hussein, arguing that the doubters risk being on the "wrong side of the issue".

Mr Blair spoke to the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, yesterday, after holding a four-way conference call with President Bush and the prime ministers of Spain and Italy, José Maria Aznar and Silvio Berlusconi.

America and Britain require agreement from at least nine members of the Security Council, with none of the five permanent members using their veto. The US and Britain can be assured of only two other votes, those of Spain and Bulgaria, and they have been focusing their efforts on trying to persuade the six uncommitted non-permanent members of the council – Guinea, Mexico, Pakistan, Angola, Cameroon and Chile. Syria and Germany, both non-permanent members remain opposed to a second resolution. But

US diplomats hope the veto-holding powers, France, Russia and China, will think twice about blocking a resolution if a majority of the Council can be won over. As of last night, however, Russia was still holding out for a diplomatic solution, while France signalled that it remained opposed to the tabling of a second resolution while UN inspections were producing results on the ground.

President Bush made a series of phone calls to world leaders over the weekend. He also spoke to Mr Blair about the wording of the resolution.

Colin Powell, the US Secretary of State, headed for Beijing, where he will attempt to ensure that the Chinese leadership will not rock the boat. Mr Powell is likely to find President Jiang Zemin and other leaders being acquiescent on Iraq but less transigent on North Korea. In public, China is saying the UN inspectors should be given more time and President Jiang has been phoning Moscow and Paris to co-ordinate responses. But most diplomats believe President Jiang would be reluctant to jeopardise his recent initiatives to strengthen ties with Washington with a direct confrontation and will therefore abstain during a new vote.

Before the 1991 Gulf War, China abstained from almost every Iraq-related resolution in the UN Security Council, and last November, China went along with the rest of the Security Council and voted in favour of resolution 1441.

"They just want to sit on the fence as long as possible," said a Western diplomat. China is also keen to win business in Iraq if sanctions are lifted or a new government embarks on a massive economic reconstruction programme.

Mr Bush said he believed a new resolution would be passed, recalling that few observers initially gave resolution 1441 much chance of being taken up by the Council.

"The clarity of vision that took place four months ago, I'm confident, will be in place after the Security Council takes a good look at the facts," he said.

On the domestic front, Mr Blair will tell MPs returning from the recess this week that Saddam will have a final chance to comply with the UN over weapons of mass destruction or face a military strike. The Prime Minister will address MPs in an emergency statement to the Commons tomorrow.

On Wednesday, in a full debate on the Iraq crisis, MPs will be given the chance to vote for a motion supporting the Government position on disarming Saddam Hussein. But the Government is bracing itself for a significant rebellion of between 50 and 100 Labour MPs.

The Liberal Democrats served notice yesterday that they would amend the motion and vote against the Government if it did not firmly stress the need for UN approval for a military strike. Michael Moore, a Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman, said: "We don't want to see the inspection process short-circuited by precipitate military action or premature second resolutions. But we will study any document carefully. In the current context, ahead of the next inspectors' report, it is hard to see how any draft resolution could talk of military force and win international support."

Hans Blix, the head of the UN inspections team, is expected to report to the UN on progress in Iraq on Friday. But there was talk yesterday that his report may be delayed until 7 March.