PARIS, Jan 30: As the United States Secretary of State Madeleine Albright awaits an update on Russian diplomatic efforts to open Iraq's suspect weapons sites, France, which has so far resisted the option of armed attack against Saddam, is edging closer to supporting military action as a last resort. On the eve of today's meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov, Albright said, ``We've all but exhausted our diplomatic options.''But she and French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine said they were interested in knowing what the mission of a Russian diplomat, Viktor Posuvalyuk, to Baghdad may have achieved. ``We don't know exactly what Foreign Minister Primakov is bringing,'' Albright said before meeting Primakov in Madrid.
The aim is a formula for reopening Iraqi weapons sites to UN inspectors who suspect there are concealed caches that pose a danger to the Gulf and West Asian regions. In the meantime, Albright made headway in wearing down French resistance to the use of force against Iraq ifdiplomacy fails. ``At this stage all options remain open,'' Vedrine said at a news conference with Albright.
``When the French Foreign Minister says all options are open, we welcome that kind of support,'' she said. ``We are not eager to use military force, we are eager for a solution,'' Albright said in an interview to a private TV channel. ``There is light at the end of the tunnel, but it is Saddam Hussein who controls the switch.'' Agreeing with Albright that the situation was grave, Vedrine appealed to Iraq to open suspected weapon sites to unconditional UN inspection before time runs out.
At the same time, the UN is expected to recommend a $2 billion hike in humanitarian supplies to Iraq under the ``oil-for-food'' programme, according to UN and diplomatic sources.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
