World opinion has been buoyed by the more positive tone of the latest UN inspectors report and its general acceptance by the Security Council, but the French could still vote for war next month. Little noticed in the general acclaim for the strong speech in support of continued inspections by French foreign minister Domique de Villepin was his call for another report by chief inspector Hans Blix on March 14th, and his suggestion that the Council could declare Iraq in “material breach” at that time if there were no further progress.
Progress is being defined as Iraq’s willingness to scrap it’s Al Samoud 2 missiles, allow a greater number of private interviews with Iraqi scientists, and provide more tangible proof that chemical weapons and biological agents have been destroyed. The consensus is that Blix’s report makes it more politically difficult for the US and Britain to launch an attack without UN backing during the next month, but the situation is so fluid all prediction is hazardous.
I've posted the Independent's report on the Security Council meeting, and The Guardian's analysis and assessment of the Blix report on www.supportingfacts.com
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