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Rattled by an outpouring of anti-war sentiment, Britain Reworking Iraq Resolution
Before Friday's dramatic Security Council meeting, where weapons inspectors gave a relatively favorable accounting of Iraq's recent cooperation, U.S. and British diplomats said they had been preparing a toughly worded resolution that would give them U.N. backing for military action. . . . But the measured reports by inspectors, in addition to massive global opposition to war - expressed both in the council and in the streets - came as a blow to their plans. . . . British and American diplomats conceded they would need to go home, consider the views of others and soften the tone of the draft. . . . While Secretary of State Colin Powell said after Friday's meeting that there was no talk of compromise yet, some diplomats said privately that it was the responsibility of the five council powers - the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China - to negotiate a way out of the impasse over Iraq. . . . U.N. backing is particularly important for the British government, which faces strong public opposition to a war. More than 750,000 people attended an anti-war protest in London on Saturday, police said, and millions more joined in similar demonstrations across the globe. . . . Noting the opposition, diplomats from Mexico, Chile, Angola and Bulgaria - key swing votes thought by the United States to be likely supporters - were considering abstaining in a vote as long as the five powers were unable to agree. . . . All sides acknowledge they want to avoid forcing France, Russia or China to veto the resolution. So the draft will have to be considerably reworked or be designed to be withdrawn - a diplomatic strategy that would demonstrate Britain and the United States want U.N. support but not at any cost.

posted by LoZo 5:39 PM