Washington, Feb. 7 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. President George W. Bush called on the United Nations to enforce resolutions demanding Iraq give up its chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, saying the U.S. and its allies are prepared to act. Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein ``will be stopped,'' Bush said yesterday after a White House meeting with Secretary of State Colin Powell. He said he'd welcome a new resolution that makes clear the UN Security Council ``stands by its previous demands'' that Iraq disarm or face ``serious consequences.'' The U.S. and its allies are ``resolved'' to act to disarm Iraq and the Security Council ``must not back down,'' Bush said. ``The game is over,'' he said. The U.S. is at odds with France and Germany over whether to take military action. Powell said the U.S. is gaining support among other nations for the use of force, and he and other U.S. officials say the current Resolution 1441 carries that threat. ``Make no mistake, when the 15 members of the Security Council voted unanimously on behalf of 1441, they understood what `serious consequences' meant,'' Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer said.
U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair said he'll have difficulties winning public support for an attack on Iraq without a new UN resolution authorizing military action. ``If there were a second resolution, people will be behind it. If there's not, there's a lot of explaining to do,'' Blair said yesterday in a debate with grassroots voters and anti-war activists organized by the British Broadcasting Corp. ``I think we'll get a second resolution.''
Troop Buildup
The U.S. and U.K. are deploying more than 215,000 troops in the Persian Gulf. The U.S. Army's 101st Airborne division, the military's largest airborne assault unit, was yesterday ordered to ship as many as 16,000 troops and more than 200 helicopters to the Gulf. Britain announced it's increasing its military contribution to the Gulf buildup, boosting to 100 the number of warplanes it is deploying, backed by an extra 6,000 troops. That will take the total U.K. deployment in the region to about 40,000 troops. Backed by 300 armored vehicles and 48 attack helicopters, the force is bigger than that Britain contributed at the start of the 1991 war to drive Iraqi forces from Kuwait. The Iraq crisis has reached a ``very critical'' time, UN nuclear agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei said at a news conference with chief UN arms inspector Hans Blix after talks in London with Blair yesterday. Iraq continues to show a lack of cooperation with UN weapons inspectors, he said.
Baghdad Visit M
Blix and ElBaradei travel to Baghdad tomorrow to present Iraqi officials with demands for compliance with the UN's Nov. 8 resolution ordering Iraq to give up weapons of mass destruction. They will report to the Security Council Feb. 14 on whether Iraq is cooperating. France, Russia and China led Security Council members in calling for the UN to continue arms inspections in Iraq. Along with the U.S. and the U.K., the three are permanent members of the Security Council with the power to veto resolutions. ``The time has not come'' for a resolution, France's UN Ambassador Jean-Marc de La Sabliere said. ``They could ask for one, but it would be very difficult to get because there could be agreement on all the issues over the weekend,'' Mohammad al-Douri, Iraq's ambassador to the UN, said, referring to meetings Saturday and Sunday between the chief UN arms inspectors and Iraqi officials. Their visit will be pivotal to helping Council members decide whether Iraq will cooperate with the UN, diplomats said. ``It will be a disaster if the trip fails,'' said Ambassador Stefan Tafrov of Bulgaria, a Security Council member. ``If they continue to not cooperate it would be very serious, and I would not be surprised to see positions change.'' The possibility of war has concerned investors, helping send oil prices 33 percent higher and gold up by 6.5 percent this year. The uncertainty has contributed to a 4.5 percent decline in the Standard and Poor's 500 stock index since Dec. 31. //www.quote.bloomberg.com