One last push to avoid war

Blair and Bush head to the Azores for summit; Mid-East peace 'road-map' proposed

The leaders of the United States, Britain and Spain will hold an emergency summit in the Azores tomorrow, in a final attempt to find a formula to win United Nations approval for a new resolution authorising war to disarm Iraq.

British officials said the summit on the islands will mark the "diplomatic end game" in the crisis. But George Bush and Tony Blair will also discuss their military strategy, amid growing signs that a war could be under way before the end of next week. They are not expected to comment publicly on their invasion plans, because this might reduce the prospects of a last-minute breakthrough at the UN.

Yesterday's announcement came after days of frantic negotiations in which the three countries failed to round up even the necessary majority of nine votes on the Council for their co-sponsored text, which France and Russia in any case have threatened to veto.

The one-day meeting of President Bush, Mr Blair and the Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar was described by Ari Fleischer, the White House spokesman, as "an effort to pursue every last bit of diplomacy". But the chances of ending the deadlock seemed slim last night.

Downing Street believes there is only a faint hope of compromise. "We are into extra time, but it is not the end of the game," said Mr Blair's official spokesman.

Jacques Chirac, the French President, telephoned Mr Blair yesterday in an attempt to cool the atmosphere. Britain had accused France of poisoning the diplomatic process by threatening to reject a new UN resolution. But there was no change of policy by President Chirac. "The language was softer but the message was the same," said a British source.

Mr Bush by contrast, made a belated attempt to help Mr Blair in his acute political difficulties, and win over sceptical world opinion, by promising to publish the long-awaited "road-map" the US has drawn up for achieving peace between Israel and the Palestinians by 2005, once a credible Palestinian prime minister has been confirmed in office.

Mr Blair in particular has been pressing Washington to show it was sincere about a Middle East settlement, to prove that the seemingly inevitable war against Iraq was not just about asserting US control of the region, and that immediately afterwards, Washington would turn its full attention to resolving the region's most poisonous and festering issue. "He has been a stuck record on this, raising it at every possible opportunity with the President," said a British official. The announcement could help Mr Blair to limit the rebellion by Labour MPs when the Commons votes on Iraq next week. Mr Blair welcomed President Bush's announcement as evidence of the West's "even-handedness".

Clare Short, the International Development Secretary, said she was "delighted" and is having second thoughts about her threat to resign.

But the margin for manoeuvre at the UN seems almost non-existent, barring an astonishing about face by Mr Bush. Within minutes of a proposal by Chile, a non-permanent member of the Council, for a three-week extension of the deadline for Saddam Hussein to comply with UN demands, Mr Fleischer shot down the idea as "a non-starter". But Chile and the other waverers, as well as France and Russia, have signalled that the extra few days – which seems the most Washington and London will countenance – is not enough. The Bush administration indicated on Thursday that contrary to the President's assertion just last week, it might not even bother to bring a new resolution to a vote.

Whatever the outcome, an official said yesterday, the US will formally declare that Iraq has missed its last chance to disarm.

In that case, the Azores summit would be largely symbolic, demonstrating that the three countries have, in Mr Fleischer's words, "gone the extra mile for democracy". It would also offer an opportunity to discuss what happens after Saddam has gone.

Meanwhile military preparations intensified. More than 250,000 US and British troops are already in the Gulf region, poised to strike. Yesterday they were joined by several Cruise missile warships redeployed from the eastern Mediterranean to the Red Sea.

The move was taken as confirmation that Washington has abandoned hopes of persuading Turkey to permit the stationing of up to 60,000 men on its soil to allow the US to open a second front against Iraq from the north.