President George W. Bush is intensifying pressure on Iraq's Saddam Hussein, warning him that time is short for peaceful disarmament and conferring with the US' most like-minded ally -- Britain.
Amid the frenzied, administration-wide diplomatic push, continuing yesterday with a pivotal Camp David summit between Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, criticism mounted on Capitol Hill and abroad.
On Thursday, Bush administration officials cautioned there was no firm deadline for when talks with allies would cease and the president would make a decision on war.
But the administration's timetable of "weeks, not months" -- uttered by Bush and administration officials throughout the day -- was given some specificity. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the administration envisions a diplomatic window of "a couple of weeks" -- which would coincide with the Feb. 14 report due to the UN Security Council from weapons inspectors combing Iraq for the banned nuclear, biological and chemical weapons programs Bush says Saddam has.
Several senior administration officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that if Saddam has not disarmed and diplomacy has run its course when the report is filed, Bush is unlikely to condone more weapons inspections.
One Bush option is to seek a second UN resolution, either authorizing military force or simply declaring the Iraqi leader in violation of last fall's version. The president discussed -- but has not committed to -- the idea with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, another voice of support amid a mostly skeptical Europe who nonetheless wants UN backing for war. Bush has repeatedly said he would wage war with willing allies without UN backing, if necessary.
Meanwhile, a US official said Secretary of State Colin Powell will not bring "a smoking gun" against Iraq to the UN next week but will have circumstantial evidence to make a convincing case that Iraq is hiding weapons of mass destruction. The official said Powell is bringing information that clearly shows Iraq is in material breach of the latest Security Council resolution.
Sir Christopher Meyer, Britain's ambassador to Washington, told CNN that devising the road map for the coming weeks, including a timetable, was the prime goal of the Blair-Bush meeting.
"For the sake of peace, this issue must be resolved," Bush said after a fire-warmed Oval Office session with Berlusconi.
Blair, Bush's staunchest ally in confronting Saddam, said in Spain he was convinced the UN would back a military attack on Iraq if Saddam refuses to disarm.
Bush's efforts to build his case against Baghdad proceeded on many fronts, all aimed at pressuring recalcitrant US allies and persuading Saddam to either comply with UN demands or flee his country.
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