Powell lobbies UN for action as Saudis shift support

Buoyed by Saudi Arabia's support for a UN-backed attack on Iraq, America acted on the diplomatic and military fronts yesterday to step up pressure on Saddam Hussein to readmit UN weapons inspectors – or face war.

At the UN, the Secretary of State, Colin Powell, scheduled meetings with the foreign ministers of Colombia, Mexico and Syria, three of the 10 non- permanent members of the Security Council. Their backing could be vital as Washington seeks the required approval of nine of the council's 15 members for the uncompromising Iraq resolution the US wants.

Also, America has reportedly asked Britain if it can use facilities to house up to six B-2 stealth bombers at the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia. Though both the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defence in London refused to comment, the request is likely to be granted, particularly given Britain's role as Washington's closest ally in the Iraq crisis.

Though B-2s took part in the 1999 Kosovo campaign, flying direct from a base in Missouri, the use of Diego Garcia would enable the $2bn (£1.3bn) aircraft to play a much larger part in the massive air assault likely in the early stages of any campaign. The US is also leaning heavily on Turkey, another notable sceptic, to grant it use of its bases for an air campaign against Baghdad.

The biggest boost, however, has been the apparent change of mind by the Saudi government. After long insisting that it would not allow its bases to serve as springboard for a new war – forcing the US to build up alternative facilities in Qatar – Prince Saud al-Faisal, the kingdom's foreign minister, indicated Riyadh would agree if the UN gave its approval.

"If there is a Security Council decision, everybody is obliged to follow through," he said. All UN Security Council resolutions are binding on the 190 UN member states, and a resolution adopted under Chapter VII of the UN charter, which would apply to the Iraq resolution under discussion, provides for enforcement measures.

Yesterday, Downing Street claimed that the international coalition against President Saddam was growing and it welcomed the Saudi statement.

General Powell declined to comment on the Saudi stance yesterday but claimed "encouraging" progress in the early search for an agreed resolution that makes clear that President Saddam would face the consequences unless he granted speedy, unfettered access to the inspectors.

A "great deal" of pressure would be in the resolution that would be elaborated "in the not too distant future." It would be a "strong" resolution, enumerating the international community's complaints over 11 years of violation by Baghdad of its UN undertakings. "We'll see if Iraq understands the seriousness of the situation it's in," the Secretary of State said in New York. US officials are hoping to have some form of draft circulating by the end of this week.

But for all General Powell's optimism, reinforced by the Saudi announcement and by the impact of President Bush's address to the UN last week, a resolution might take longer to secure than some in Washington believe.

This week, US emissaries will be taking Mr Bush's case direct to China and Russia, which both hold Security Council vetoes and whose abstention at the very least is required for a resolution to pass. If Moscow and Beijing were to abstain, the US would still need the backing of Britain and France as well as six of the 10 non-permanent members.

The 10 include Ireland, which could be constrained by its historic emphasis on neutrality, and Syria, which, like Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries, had categorically opposed an attack. But that tide could be turning, with several Arab leaders publicly warning President Saddam to obey a UN resolution or face the threatened consequences.

Riyadh insists that the US has shifted position with Mr Bush now working through the Security Council instead of dismissing the world body as a waste of time. But Prince Saud's new language will ease strains with the US that have intensified since 11 September, amid frustration in the Bush administration at the perceived lack of Saudi co-operation in the war against terror.

Mr Blair's spokesman said he had an "open mind" on whether the new resolution to be discussed by the UN Security Council should be accompanied by a second one sanctioning military action. What mattered, he said, was that "Saddam gets the clear message that he has to co-operate or face the consequences".