Brits Prepare Iraq Compromise

Britain is prepared to negotiate the wording of the draft resolution on Iraq it has offered together with the United States, and is also considering an amendment, British Foreign Minister Jack Straw said Thursday.

His comments came amid a flurry of activity ahead of Friday's key report by U.N. weapons inspectors.

President Bush will give a rare formal press conference at 8 p.m. ET Thursday. CBS News will broadcast the appearance as a special report anchored by Dan Rather.

Secretary of State Colin Powell told a Senate subcommittee that the United States was at a "a critical moment."

"We are being tested, the Security Council of the United Nations and the international community are being tested," he said.

Referring to Iraq's alleged stockpile of illegal arms, Powell added: "This is the time we have to deal with this kind of threat, not after we have seen thousands of people die as a result of the use of some of these horrible weapons."

Powell is trying to overcome U.N. resistance to using force to disarm Iraq. France, Russia and China — all permanent Security Council members with veto power — have said they oppose war now. Germany, the current council president, is also against a war resolution. They want inspectors to have more time.

The British proposal is an effort to bridge that gap. British diplomats floated the idea of attaching a short deadline to the resolution. The deadline would give Saddam Hussein a few days to prove he has no more banned weapons, or face war.

"We are ready to discuss the wording of that resolution and take on board any constructive suggestions of how the process on that draft resolution can be improved," Straw told a news conference. "There is certainly the possibility of an amendment, and that's what we're looking at."

U.S. diplomats in recent days have signaled a willingness to hear suggestions on the wording as long as the substance of the draft was unchanged.

As it now stands, the resolution — authored by the U.S., Britain and Spain — finds Iraq is not disarming and, while not calling explicitly for military action, holds out the possibility of "serious consequences."

The outcome of the vote may depend in part on the report on the progress of disarmament that chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix will make to the Security Council on Friday.

Blix said Wednesday that Iraq is providing "a great deal more of cooperation now" under threat of U.S. military action and he hopes it's not too late to avoid war.

He said the chopping up of some of Iraq's Al Samoud 2 missiles "is the most spectacular and the most important and tangible" example of cooperation.

Iraq destroyed six more missiles Thursday, meaning a third of the declared stockpile is gone.

Blix, however, said his team was skeptical of Iraq's claim that it is possible to verify how much nerve gas the country destroyed by testing the soil at the site where they destroyed it.

After Blix reports on Friday, Powell is scheduled to make what could be a final speech to the council urging approval of the use of force.

Powell previewed his case in a speech Wednesday, citing intelligence he says proves that Iraq is not disarming — developing more missiles as he destroys a token few.

CBS News White House Correspondent Mark Knoller reports the president's appearance is part of an effort to explain why so many other nations are against the United States on Iraq, and to prepare the nation for the possibility of war.

It is only Mr. Bush's second prime-time news conference. The first came a month after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Spokesman Ari Fleischer said Mr. Bush's opening statement would address "the successes in the war against terror as well as the importance of disarming Saddam Hussein." He said Mr. Bush has not decided whether to wage war.

Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle said the Bush administration had brought on an "extraordinary disintegration" of support from other nations by rushing toward war. He said the administration should continue reaching out to other countries.

The administration has said repeatedly that it will wage war without U.N. backing if necessary.

The New York Times reports that the U.S. military is prepared to launch such an attack within days of the president's order, which could come very soon after the U.N. vote.

As part of an intensifying prelude to war:

• U.S. aircraft have increased the number of missions in and around the southern no-fly zone in order to establish a level of activity that will make it harder for the Iraqis to spot the marshalling of aircraft for the start of the conflict.
• Turkey's top politician said the government would wait for the results of the Security Council meeting before deciding whether to ask parliament to reconsider its refusal to allow in U.S. troops for an attack on Iraq, the Anatolia news agency reported Thursday.
• CBS News Reporter Charles D'Agata reports humanitarian agencies are evacuating their staffs in Iraq.