Iraq remains under the threat of US air strikes as Washington and London both rejected a peace overture from President Saddam Hussein as insufficient. There was a growing feeling here last night that President Clinton would order the first air strike fairly soon.
The overture followed letters delivered to President Saddam from President Yeltsin of Russia and his Foreign Minister, Mr Igor Ivanov. The Iraqi News Agency reported President Saddam as saying that the restrictions on UN weapons inspectors which have provoked the present crisis "were intended to get responses to Iraq's legal demands" apparently referring to his call for the ending of trade sanctions.
"Iraq will accept positively any initiative that meets these just and balanced demands," President Saddam said according to the news agency.
But the White House spokesman, Mr Joe Lockhart, dismissed this overture as did the British Foreign Minister, Mr Robin Cook. Asked about President Saddam's statement, Mr Lockhart said "There is nothing new in what he is saying. He is talking about an initiative based on his terms and based on his conditions. The message he needs to get is that this has to be done based on the conditions and terms of the international community." Earlier President Clinton had said that President Saddam "has it within his hands to end this crisis now" by resuming full co-operation with the UNSCOM inspectors. They were withdrawn from Baghdad following the Iraqi decision last month to refuse them access to suspected sites of chemical and biological weapons.
Mr Clinton, who is preparing to fly today to an Asian economic summit in Malaysia, also said that it was "unacceptable" to "tolerate an Iraq free to develop weapons of mass destruction with impunity."
In his message to President Saddam, Mr Yeltsin warned that the crisis was getting beyond political control and that Iraq faced a real risk of US air strikes unless a solution was found quickly.
The UN Security Council yesterday met the Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan, who earlier had a separate meeting with the ambassadors of Russia, China and France. They are reported to have proposed that Mr Annan send a letter to Baghdad restating the council's willingness to conduct a comprehensive review of what remains to be done before UN sanctions can be lifted.
President Clinton spoke for about 10 minutes with Mr Annan before his meetings. US officials indicated that a peace mission by Mr Annan to Baghdad would not be worthwhile given the Iraqi attitude.
The Secretary of State, Ms Madeleine Albright, was pessimistic about a peaceful solution when she spoke to reporters before flying to Malaysia.
In Mexico City, President Jacques Chirac called for a diplomatic solution but insisted it was up to Baghdad to say whether it was willing to "set the clock back" and follow that track.