U.S. More Confident On Iraq Vote

The Bush administration says it is gaining support and believes that it will be able to get enough votes in the U.N. Security Council to carry the U.S.-British resolution which clears the way for military action against Iraq, CBS News Correspondent Bill Plante reports.

"I'm increasingly optimistic that if it comes to a vote, we will be able to make a case that will persuade most of the members of the Security Council to vote for the resolution," Secretary of State Colin Powell said Tuesday.

The administration says it is committed to put the resolution to a vote next week, despite continuing opposition by some members of the council and pressure to allow more time for inspections.

"We think it's time for the council to face that decision, that is to say, to decide that Iraq is not in compliance," said U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte.

The U.S. and Britain are working furiously behind the scenes to court the votes of the six undecided nations on the Security Council. The White House has sent a special emissary to Chile, and the secretary of state has talked twice in the last few days with Mexico. On Tuesday, Powell gave interviews to five European TV stations.

But even if U.S. pressure succeeds in getting the resolution passed, any of the other four permanent members of the council could veto it. France has not ruled out a veto and Russia's foreign minister warned again Tuesday that his nation will not support any measure leading to war.

At a news conference in London, Igor Ivanov did not explicitly outline Russia's plans for the U.N. vote, but raised the possibility Russia could veto the U.S.- and British-backed resolution.

"There are certain issues where it is desirable there should be no abstentions among the Security Council members, because these are serious issues," Ivanov told reporters. "The permanent members of the Security Council have a special responsibility. That's why I said the Iraqi issue is an issue where it is unlikely one of us would abstain."

Whichever way the vote goes next week, sources say President Bush won't wait long to speak out. At that point, he will either give Saddam Hussein a final deadline, or simply tell him the game is up and that war could come at any time.

Meanwhile, the U.N. has secretly drawn up a plan to establish a post-Saddam Hussein government in Iraq, reports the London Times.

The 60-page plan was reportedly ordered by a Canadian deputy of Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

The paper says the plan calls for the U.N. to step in about three months after successful U.S.-led military action to oust Saddam. The world body would steer Iraq toward self-government -- a scenario similar to what's going on in Afghanistan right now.

However, Annan declared Tuesday that war must be a last resort and called Baghdad's destruction of some of its Al Samoud missiles "a positive development." Since Saturday, Iraq has destroyed 19 of about 100 of the banned missiles.

The wheels of diplomacy may be moving slowly, but the U.S. military buildup continued its speedy pace, as another 60,000 troops were ordered to the Persian Gulf, bringing the total number of American land, sea and air forces in the region to nearly 300,000.

Another wave of B-52 bombers flew into Britain Tuesday, cutting the distance to Iraq in half. And in a more ominous sign war is near, the hospital ship Comfort is due to arrive in the Gulf next week, ready to treat battlefield casualties, CBS News National Security Correspondent David Martin reports.

On Wednesday, Gen. Tommy Franks, who would command the battle, is scheduled to brief President Bush on the fallback plan for going to war without the use of Turkish bases.

Pentagon officials say waiting for Turkey to allow the U.S. — to offload some 30 ships crammed with battle gear would at this late date force a delay in the war plan.

The backup plan would avoid a delay by using the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions to invade northern Iraq from the south.

But Turkey so far has also refused to allow the U.S. to bring in additional warplanes or even overfly Turkish air space for strikes against Iraq. That would force the U.S. to bring two aircraft carriers now in the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal to the Red Sea to attack from the south.

The White House made clear Tuesday that so long as Turkey fails to let the U.S. stage its troops there a big U.S. aid package – valued at over $20 billion in grants and loan guarantees – is dead.

"The particular package that we were talking to them about was predicated on assistance and cooperation in any plan for use of force against Iraq," said Fleischer.

Until Tuesday, the spokesman had suggested part of the package would be available to Turkey regardless of whether 62,000 American troops were allowed in the country. White House officials said they were turning up pressure on Turkey in hopes that the parliament would grant the U.S. request on a second vote.

But a senior lawmaker in Turkey told CBS News that if there is a new vote on the issue, it's at least a week away.

That timetable doesn't work in America's favor. As a Turkish politician put it, if a decision has to be made right now, it has to be made by Washington – to abandon the plan to use Turkey as a base, or to wait.