Washington is counting on support from "at least a dozen" governments if it decides to attack Iraq without a fresh U.N. resolution, Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Saturday.
Powell said these states would prefer a new U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq, but would not insist on that. "There are quite a number of countries that already have indicated that they would like to have another resolution, but without another resolution they will be with us," he told reporters on his way to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
"I don't want to give you names or give you a count...but we would not be alone, that's for sure. I could rattle off at least a dozen off memory, and I think that there will be more."
Powell chided Security Council members who voted for a Nov. 8 resolution threatening Iraq with "serious consequences" but who now have reservations about attacking Iraq. "We can't be afraid to go down this road because the going's going to get tough or hard. You should have realized that was a possibility when you signed on and became a partner to (U.N. resolution) 1441," he said.
He gave no indication of how long the U.S. was ready to wait before deciding whether to use force against Iraq, but he suggested no decision would be taken until Prsident Bush meets British Prime Minister Tony Blair at Camp David on January 31.
"We are doing this deliberately, wholeheartedly, patiently, but there will be ultimately an end, I believe, to the patience of the international community. "We are doing this in full consultation and coordination with our friends and allies," he said. (Albawaba.com)
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