Washington — Unmoved by mounting global opposition to war and wavering support from key allies, a defiant George W. Bush vowed again to disarm Iraq, with or without the United Nations' blessing.
The U.S. President warned Tuesday that the UN risks becoming irrelevant unless it moves quickly to enforce previous resolutions ordering Iraq to rid itself of weapons of mass destruction.
"Unless the United Nations shows some backbone and courage, ... it could render the Security Council irrelevant," Mr. Bush told reporters at the White House, where he spoke publicly for the first time since antiwar protests on the weekend drew millions of people around the world.
Mr. Bush said his administration is working with allies on a toughened UN Security Council resolution that could be tabled as early as Wednesday. The United States also stands ready to forcibly dismantle Iraq's weapons arsenal if this last-ditch diplomacy fails, he said.
"If the United Nations can't enforce its own resolutions — a resolution which, by the way, has been around for 12 years — it says something about its utility as we head into the future," he said.
The tough talk comes amid signs of flagging support from key U.S. allies, including Britain and Turkey, and the hardening of opposition elsewhere to unilateral action, including in Ottawa.
"If they [the U.S.] want to go there all alone, they can go there all alone. But we say they must go with the authorization of the United Nations," Prime Minister Jean Chrétien said Tuesday. "If they don't, the international system of peace and security will probably be more destabilized than it need be."
The Turkish government announced Tuesday it would not allow U.S. troops to use its territory or bases to attack Iraq unless military action is sanctioned by the UN Security Council. British Prime Minister Tony Blair was also cautious after returning from a deeply divided European Union summit in Brussels, saying "there's no rush to war."
Mr. Bush dismissed international opposition to war, insisting that while war is the "last choice," doing nothing isn't an option for the United States.
"[Iraqi President] Saddam Hussein is a threat to America and we will deal with him," Mr. Bush said. "I owe it to the American people to secure this country; I will do so."
Mr. Bush said he wasn't impressed by the recent antiwar rallies, saying such protests won't shape U.S. decision-making.
"[Basing decisions by] size of protest, it's like deciding, 'Well, I'm going to decide policy based upon a focus group,' " he said. "The role of a leader is to decide policy based upon the security, in this case, security of the people."
U.S. officials refused to say whether any new UN Security Council resolution would have to include a strict timetable, setting out what Iraq would have to do to avoid military action. The President insisted the United States reserves the right to act alone against Mr. Hussein.
"We don't need a second resolution," Mr. Bush said. "It's clear this guy [Mr. Hussein] could even care less about the first resolution."
Most Western nations, along with key Arab states, have said they would support military action in Iraq only if the Security Council authorized the use of force.
U.S. officials have signalled privately that the Bush administration is ready to give diplomacy at least another two weeks before a final decision is made on war. The administration is working with Britain on a possible new resolution, which would need the support of at least nine of the 15 UN Security Council members to pass.
White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said a Security Council vote could come this week or next. He also took a shot at French and German leaders who have threatened to block any new resolution.
"With a few exceptions, Germany and France most notably, Europe stands united" with the United States against Iraq, he said.
The United States has been amassing troops and equipment in the Middle East since late last year, as it has ratcheted up pressure on Iraq to get rid of all of its weapons of mass destruction. It now has an estimated 182,000 troops in the region, and tens of thousands more on their way.
Mr. Fleischer noted that the United States and its allies went to war in Kosovo in the 1990s without the blessing of the UN Security Council.
"The history of the UN in Kosovo is not a good one," Mr. Fleischer said. "I hope that won't be the case in Iraq."
