Iraq Dispute Overshadows Blair-Schröder Meeting

Chancellor Gerhard Schröder had one of those appointments on Wednesday that politicians love. Schröder traveled to London to help Prime Minister Tony Blair open an art exhibition called "The Masterpieces of Dresden."

Surrounded by the works of artists like Caspar David Friedrich, Schröder and Blair had the perfect chance to show their countries' relationship in its very best light.

But that would have been under normal circumstances. And Schröder was not making his visit under normal circumstances. War is in the air, and the visual pleasures of the exhibition were overshadowed by the deep disagreement between the leaders -- even as they tried to play down those differences on Wednesday.

More united than divided

"There is more that unites us than divides us," Blair told reporters. "We're very good friends, but we are allowed to have disagreements from time to time." Schröder, meanwhile, gave his 10 Downing Street counterpart a pat on the shoulder, thanking Blair for his friendship and saying he hoped it would last far longer than the current Iraq crisis that has pitted them against each other. Playing off of a recent quip from U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Schröder even joked that the art the two soaked up in London was part of what unites "Old Europe."

However, neither Blair nor Schröder was able to reach a compromise position over Iraq. "On this issue, it's certain we will not be able to convince one another," Schröder said.

For months now, Schröder and Blair have argued the opposite sides of the question. The German chancellor has refused to support a possible U.S.-led war against Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, and the British prime minister has stood without flinching at the side of U.S. President George W. Bush.

British offer new compromise ideas

Before Schröder arrived on Wednesday, Blair worked to find a diplomatic compromise that would end the conflict, which has damaged German-British ties and threatens the future of the U.N. Security Council.

The latest fissures were created on Monday when Russia and France announced they would use their ultimate power in the council -- the veto -- to derail an effort by the United States, Britain and Spain to push through a resolution that gives Saddam a deadline of next Monday to disarm.

Blair, who needs a second resolution to shore up his eroding public support at home, has put together a six-point plan that he hopes the United Nations will embrace in a new resolution. The resolution foresees an ultimatum that would give Saddam until March 27 to comply with "benchmarks." A British Foreign Office official, Mike O'Brien, said on Wednesday that these benchmarks would include:

-- A television appearance by Saddam in which he renounces weapons of mass destruction.

-- Iraqi permission for 30 key weapons scientists to travel to Cyprus where the could be interviewed by U.N. weapons inspectors.

-- Destruction "forthwith" of 10,000 liters of anthrax and other chemical and biological weapons Iraq is allegedly holding.

-- An official Iraqi explanation for an aerial drone recently discovered by U.N. weapons inspectors.

Vote on new resolution put off

In New York, members of the Security Council worked on Wednesday to turn Blair's outline into an acceptable compromise. A vote on the plan had been planned for Friday. But diplomats said it was likely to be delayed again.

During a tense three-hour meeting of the bitterly divided council, Britain offered to abandon the Monday ultimatum if members approved its list of disarmament tests for Saddam. The resolution would then implicitly threaten Iraq with "serious consequences" if it failed to comply.

"This is a trial balloon, if you like, to see whether this is a way out of our current difficulties ... to see if we can keep the council together," said Britain's U.N. ambassador, Jeremy Greenstock (photo).

U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte said the United States wanted to see how members reacted to the plan "before we embrace it in its entirety." If the council starts to rally around the so-called benchmarks, Negroponte said, the United States would be prepared to accept "a very, very, very brief extension" of the deadline for Iraq to complete the disarmament tests.

The discussions are being conducted under a veto threat made by France and Russia, both of which want to grant extra time to U.N. weapons inspectors in Iraq. Both countries indicated on Wednesday that the British proposal did not change their position.

"It's still about war and peace," said Russia's U.N. ambassador, Sergey Lavrov. "We are not convinced that this proposal takes care of our concerns. We will study it, but we see automaticity still there."

French Ambassador Jean-Marc de La Sabliere said the British proposal didn't change the draft resolution, "which authorizes the use of force — this is what is at stake."

Members will meet again on Thursday at 3 p.m. EST on the new British proposal.

Some envoys said the battle could end with the United States, Britain and Spain abandoning the process rather than facing the humiliation of a defeat if the measure were put to a vote. Because of the veto threat, some U.S. and British officials said they would consider it a victory if the resolution achieved the minimum nine votes for passage. U.S. officials said they were within close range of getting nine votes but six undecided nations on the council did not confirm it.

Rumsfeld says U.S. could act alone

The British effort was launched a day after Rumsfeld (photo) suggested that the Bush administration was prepared to invade Iraq without British support if necessary.

"What will ultimately be decided is unclear as to their role; that is to say, their role in the event a decision is made to use force," Rumsfeld said.

Soon afterward, Rumsfeld backtracked on his comments and said he still expected British support. "In the event that a decision to use force is made, we have every reason to believe there will be a significant military contribution from the United Kingdom," Rumsfeld said.

In response to Rumsfeld's first statement, Blair told parliament on Wednesday: "Of course, it is true that the United States could go alone, and, of course, this country should not take military action unless it is in our interest to do so.

"What is at stake here is not whether the United States goes alone or not, it is whether the international community is prepared to back up the clear instruction it gave to Saddam Hussein with the necessary action. The best thing is to go flat-out for that second resolution."

In Iraq, the government moved to answer questions about the drone that were raised by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. Powell said this week that the drone with a wing span of more than 24 feet could be used to drop chemical and biological agents. Officials of the Iraqi government showed the aircraft to journalists on Wednesday. Reporters seemed unimpressed with the "weapon," with written reports describing it as what appeared to be little more than a model plane made of balsa wood held together with screws and duct tape.