WASHINGTON DC: Despite the millions of people who demonstrated against war on Saturday, and the anti-war sentiment that swept the UN Security Council on Friday, there were no sign yesterday of any weakening of resolve by the Bush administration to confront Iraq.
Asked yesterday if President Bush was prepared to "sheath the sword" he had drawn in preparing for war, his national security adviser, Ms Condoleeza Rice, said it was hard to imagine the circumstances under which the Iraqis would "carry out their obligations" and "this will have to come to end".
"The world needs to pull itself back together here and send a very strong message to the Iraqis that we are not going to go through what we have gone through over the last 12 years," Ms Rice said on NBC. "It is time for this to end. Enough is enough. Putting this off is not an option."
Though the Bush administration is now closer than at any time in several months to leading a war on its own without UN backing, it has not given up on its ability to cajole or persuade enough Security Council members to sign on to a new resolution authorising military force.
Officials plan as early as tomorrow to put forward a new draft that would make clear that members stood behind Resolution 1441, which demanded that President Saddam Hussein disarm or face serious consequences.
However, "it cannot be a delaying tactic, Ms Rice said.
"If the world wants to come together around a resolution that does affirm 1441, we would welcome it and work towards that end."
The United States will set a series of specific tests in the next two weeks of Mr Saddam's willingness to disarm, on the assumption that he will fail and that sceptical nations will back a new resolution, the New York Times reported yesterday.
These tests would include interviewing Iraqi scientists on their own, allowing the destruction of missiles that exceed the permitted range of 150 kilometres, and permitting unconditional overflights by US, European and Russian spy planes.
At the weekend Mr Bush discussed with his Secretary of State, Mr Colin Powell, and other advisers the prospects of countering the actions of France and other critics that have succeeded in reframing the debate about inspections in Iraq.
A new resolution could call for the means to "restore international peace and security", which could be taken as a green light for military force.
French Foreign Minister Mr Dominique de Villepin scored a diplomatic triumph at the UN on Friday with his plea for more time for inspections, making it more difficult for the US to get the necessary support of nine of the 15 council members and avoid a veto from the three of the five permanent members opposed to US policy, France, Russia and China.
However, his suggestion of inspections continuing to March 14th has been so far blocked by the US, adding to the impression that US war planning envisages action before that time.
"We are in a diplomatic window that cannot last very much longer because the uncertainty is unfair to states in the region" and to the Iraqi people and to the reputation of the UN Security Council," Ms Rice said.
Mr Bush's national security adviser has emerged as one of the chief hawks of the administration.
Some US officials said her tactic of meeting chief weapons inspector Dr Hans Blix privately last week to pressurise him into a stronger anti-Iraq statement on Friday backfired with the independent-minded Swedish diplomat, who is proud of his impartiality, the Washington Post said.
Ms Rice reflected her dismay by saying Dr Blix, gave the Iraqis "the benefit of the doubt that they do not deserve."
US officials expressed frustration over the weekend at what they saw as Security Council members, especially France, straying from Resolution 1441 which gave Iraq a "final opportunity" to disarm or face military attack.
Ms Rice chided council members who signed on to 1441 but were "unwilling to come to terms with the fact that resolution called for serious consequences in the absence of compliance."
It was unfortunate that some gave the impression on Friday to Mr Saddam that he can still play "cheat and retreat" and pit the allies against each other, she said.
"We don't need to allow this to become a street fight between the United States and France and Germany, but we do need to remind everybody that tyrants don't respond to any kind of appeasement . . . tyrants respond to toughness."
For Pentagon war planners time is now very important.
There will be moonless nights in the first two weeks in March, making it ideal for bombing strategic targets.
By then there will be 250,000 US forces in the Gulf region which have to be kept supplied and at battle readiness.
Most Americans still support war with Iraq, though in recent polls less than 40 per cent were in favour of the US acting without UN authority and the anti-war movement has now acquired strong momentum after Saturday's turnout in cities across the United States.
A new Time/CNN poll today will show that 75 per cent of Americans think a war with Iraq is inevitable, up from 63 per cent just three weeks ago.