Baghdad to defy U.N. resolutions threatening war

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A defiant Iraq said Saturday it will not abide by a U.N. resolution imposing new conditions in the weapons inspections issue or threatening war, while in Kuwait a top U.S. general said his forces are ready to attack Iraq if called on.

The sharp words come as America and Britain try to overcome Russian, Chinese and French resistance to a new U.N. resolution threatening Iraq with war if it does not destroy its weapons of mass destruction.

It also follows news that President Bush has received a detailed set of military options to topple Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and neutralize his most dangerous weapons.

A classified plan was delivered to Bush by Gen. Tommy Franks this month and will undergo refinements in the weeks ahead, according to published reports.

Franks, speaking in Kuwait, said U.S. soldiers have been training closely with Gulf allies recently and are ready to act against Iraq if Bush gives the order to do so.

Asked if U.S. forces were ready for war, Franks said: "We are prepared to undertake whatever activities and whatever actions we may be directed to take by our nation." But, he noted at a press conference Saturday wrapping up a three-day visit, "our president has not made a decision to go to war."

Baghdad's announcement that it would not back any new U.N. resolutions was made during a meeting between Hussein, Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan and other senior Iraqi officials. It did not say when the meeting took place.

"American officials are trying, according to the media, to issue new, bad resolutions from the Security Council. Iraq declares it will not deal with any new resolution that contradicts what has been agreed upon with the U.N. Secretary General," said the brief announcement, which was carried on state-run Iraqi radio.

The Iraqi statement did not elaborate, but Baghdad is believed to oppose any new U.N. resolution that includes the threat of military strikes on Iraq or a change to the weapons inspections regime or the oil-for-food program.

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld expressed little surprise at Iraq's reaction.

"Anyone who has watched the past decade has seen the Iraqi government defy some 16 U.N. resolutions and change their position depending on what they thought was tactically advantageous to them and kind of jerk the United Nations around," he told CNN. "So it is no surprise at all."

At the White House, Sean McCormack, a National Security Council spokesman, said Iraq's position that it will not comply with future resolutions is "very disappointing."

"We are working very hard within the international community and specifically in the United Nations to address in an effective way the issue of Iraqi noncompliance," he said. "As the president has said, this is an important test of the United Nation's resolve."

Iraq on Monday announced it would accept the unconditional return of weapons inspectors nearly four years after they left. Washington said the move was designed to divide the Security Council and Bush has dismissed it as a ploy and has not ruled out unilateral American military action.

Existing Security Council resolutions give weapons inspectors 60 days from when they begin work in Iraq to give the council a work program. Once the program is approved and the inspectors and International Atomic Energy Agency becomes operational, Iraq will need to cooperate and comply for 120 days.

Western diplomats have said the new U.S.-British draft would tighten the amount of time Iraq has to comply and include new instructions for weapons inspectors.

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