Mandate for war will fail, predicts Germany

Germany said yesterday that a clear majority of nations on the UN Security Council will oppose a new resolution authorising war on Iraq, heralding a political catastrophe for Tony Blair.

His hopes of winning any kind of domestic support for military action hinge on securing a second resolution in New York.

German government sour-ces said Berlin's position, shared by France and Russia, that inspections should continue was backed by an increasing number of council members. Only four of the 15, the US, Britain, Spain and Bulgaria, were opposed to the German position, a senior source claimed.

China last night added its voice to those council members asking that inspectors be allowed more time.

For a resolution to pass, it needs a minimum of nine votes and the absence of a veto by any of the five permanent members.

On Monday, Germany, Russia and France issued a joint call for inspections to be pursued and reinforced with extra manpower and technology.

Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, dismissed the call for more inspectors yesterday as "a recipe for procrastination and delay". His combative tone suggested Britain might be prepared to back war without a second UN resolution.

Britain and America are still expected to table a draft resolution saying Saddam Hussein is in further "material breach" of UN demands. If adopted, that would be taken by Washington as a green light for war.

A text will not be tabled before Friday, when Hans Blix, the chief UN weapons inspector, is due to give a further progress report.

Meanwhile, France, Germany and Belgium, who have blocked military planning to defend Turkey in the event of war, were still at loggerheads with their Nato allies yesterday.

The al-Jazeera satellite TV channel broadcast a new tape from Osama bin Laden last night in which he urged Muslim solidarity with Iraq.