White House: War Coalition Solid

The White House brushed off skeptical statements by European leaders about a war with Iraq, with a spokesman predicting, "Europe will heed the call."

Spokesman Ari Fleischer said that if war comes, America will be at the front of what he terms a "rather robust coalition of the willing." CBS News White House Correspondent Mark Knoller reports the administration says the president respects the right of different nations to disagree, but will guided by his assessment of what is necessary to protect the nation.

Secretary of State Colin Powell says he sees no need for further inspections before moving ahead with enforcement of U.N. resolutions requiring President Saddam Hussein to disarm.

"How much longer should inspections go on?" he asked in a question-and-answer session with representatives of a group of American newspapers. "One month, two months, three months? What will be the difference if they (the Iraqis) are simply trying to get time in order to frustrate the purpose of the inspections?"

Bolstering Powell's claims, a senior Iraqi official said Thursday Iraqi scientists have so far refused private interviews with U.N. inspectors, despite Iraq's offer of more cooperation this week.

There were other signs of friction between the experts and their hosts. Government officials claimed the inspectors had made an intrusive stop at a mosque, but a U.N. spokesman said they merely visited it. Chief inspector Hans Blix said the Iraqis were blocking proposals for using U-2 spy planes to assist inspectors.

France and Germany want to give the inspectors, who will make a crucial report next week, more time. That prompted NATO Wednesday to postpone its planning for a possible war in Iraq

France initially resisted backing the new U.N. inspections last year, and has hinted it might veto any resolution calling for war. French President Jacques Chirac said Wednesday "an extra delay is necessary."

In Germany, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder told a rally of his Social Democratic party: "Don't expect Germany to approve a resolution legitimatizing war."

Powell singled out France, saying he hoped "the French will come to the understanding of the need for such a strategy and the importance of such a strategy."

Administration officials this week have mounted a forceful effort to resist calls for delay.

Mr. Bush on Tuesday scolded nations that are demanding more time for inspections.

National security adviser Condoleezza Rice, writing an article on the op-ed page of Thursday's editions of The New York Times, said, "Iraq is still treating inspections as a game. It should know that time is running out."

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Germany and France were "a problem," but that the vast majority of other countries in Europe backed the United States.

However, many Europeans see American arrogance and oil as the main reasons Mr. Bush wants to go to war, CBS News Correspondent Elaine Cobbe reports.

Publicly, politicians here speak of the need for proof Saddam is violating UN resolutions. Privately, they say they're tired of being bullied by war-hungry Americans.

France and Germany also have their eye on the endgame. During the Gulf War in 1991, France was not a player and lost out in reconstruction contracts. If there's a regime overthrow, European powers want to be sure their oil supplies are secure.

Meanwhile, another reluctant ally — Turkey — was hosting a meeting of Iraq's neighbors aimed at averting war.

Delegations from many of Iraq's neighbors — Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Jordan — as well as Egypt met in a former Ottoman palace overlooking the Bosporus.

Turkey has proposed that the meeting adopt a joint declaration calling on Iraq to fully cooperate with the inspectors and declare that it will not develop weapons of mass destruction in the future, a Turkish diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Other than Kuwait, Iraq's neighbors fear that Saddam's ouster could lead to chaos in the region, with Iraq splintering into smaller ethnic states.

Polls show that more than 80 percent of Turks oppose a war. The United States is asking to base tens of thousands of soldiers there; Turkish leaders have suggested that the United States scale back its request.

Turkish and Arab diplomats have stressed that the delegates will not call for Saddam to step down and go into exile as a way of avoiding war.

The chances Saddam would enter exile are slim, but it could become more likely if he lost his officials' support. CBS News Correspondent David Martin reports Pentagon officials say they have received intelligence reports that some members of the Iraqi government are arguing among themselves about whether to fight if the U.S. invades.

The U.S. has sent e-mails to specific Iraq leaders, calling on them to defect. The electronic appeals caused enough consternation that Baghdad temporarily shut down its Internet server.