Iraq

France, Russia, Germany issue antiwar statement

PARIS -- France, Russia and Germany called for the Security Council to set a timetable for Saddam Hussein to disarm but issued a strong statement Saturday rejecting a war on Iraq.

France's foreign minister, Dominique de Villepin, said his country would accept "a very tight timetable" for Iraqi disarmament -- but not an ultimatum that would automatically trigger war, as Washington wants. Still, he said, war increasingly appears inevitable.

"It is difficult to imagine what could stop this machine," he told France 2 television, before adding "one does not have the right to be discouraged."

France, Russia and Germany have led opposition to military action against Iraq and blocked a U.S. attempt to set a deadline for Hussein to disarm or face war.

The joint declaration was issued by France and its allies in a clear move to present their case against war before President Bush meets with prime ministers Tony Blair of Britain and Jose Maria Aznar of Spain today in the Azores islands.

"We reaffirm that nothing justifies in the present circumstances putting a stop to the inspection process and resorting to the use of force," said the declaration, issued by the Foreign Ministry in Paris. "The use of force can only be a last resort."

The three nations called for Security Council foreign ministers to meet on Tuesday to focus on "disarmament priorities and draw up a strict and realistic timetable" to certify Iraq free of alleged weapons of mass destruction.

Iraq invites chief inspectors to visit

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraq on Saturday invited chief U.N. weapons inspectors Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei to visit Baghdad at the "earliest suitable date" to speed up joint cooperation on outstanding disarmament issues, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said.

The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the invitation was made by Saddam Hussein's science adviser Lt. Gen. Amer al-Saadi, Iraq's pointman on disarmament.

At U.N. headquarters in New York, Blix said he would study the invitation and discuss it with the U.N. Security Council. Asked if the Iraqi invitation was a stunt, he told CNN,"I certainly wouldn't call it a stunt. . . . We'll have to give serious thought to what the answer will be."

On Monday, Blix is to present the council with his plans for upcoming inspections. He has said recently that Baghdad is showing more "proactive" cooperation with inspectors, but the United States and its allies insist that Hussein is deceiving the inspectors .

Meanwhile in Iraq on Saturday, weapons inspectors oversaw the destruction of three banned Iraqi missiles at a military site north of Baghdad, U.N. spokesman Hiro Ueki said. A missile launcher was also destroyed. The Iraqis have now crushed 68 Al Samoud 2 missiles since the United Nations ordered their destruction.

The inspectors also visited Al-Qa Qa complex south of Baghdad which produces chemical and explosives in addition to a medicine warehouse.

U.S. takes back offer of aid to Turkey

WASHINGTON -- As U.S. hopes dwindled of going through Turkey for an attack on Iraq, the Bush administration took back its offer to give $15-billion in aid to Turkey in exchange for military cooperation, the Associated Press reported.

U.S. commanders have been eager to use the NATO ally to open a northern front in any invasion of Iraq. Staging in Turkey would allow more U.S. troops and heavier equipment to push toward Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit.

The two countries had negotiated a package of U.S. grants and loans aimed at boosting Turkey's ailing economy, which is expected to suffer even more if there is war.

Earlier this month, Turkey's parliament -- mindful of polls showing a vast majority of the public opposed war -- rejected a government motion to authorize the deployment of 62,000 American troops on Turkish soil.

Turkey has since delayed a final decision, and the new prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said Saturday a second vote was at least another week off.

Now, the $15-billion is off the table, according to AP, which cited two senior U.S. officials. Nonetheless, Pentagon officials said Saturday there are no immediate plans to move any more U.S. military forces or equipment away from Turkey.

Pope meets with peace envoy

VATICAN CITY -- Pope John Paul II met Saturday with a peace envoy he sent to Washington to urge the Bush administration to avoid a war against Iraq.

Cardinal Pio Laghi conveyed to President Bush on March 5 the Vatican's strong opposition to a possible conflict and returned to Rome last weekend. The pope was on spiritual retreat for Lent until Saturday.

Laghi said the pontiff is worried deeply about a war and its possible aftermath, the ANSA news agency reported. The pope fears that the conflict would "destabilize the Middle East," Laghi said.

"We insist that Iraq disarm, but we hope (disarmament) can be obtained without unleashing a war," Laghi told ANSA.