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It's in Saddam's hands: Powell

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

Washington feb. 22. The Secretary of State, Colin Powell, has said that there will be no military showdown with Iraq if its leader, Saddam Hussein, left the country or complied with the relevant United Nations Resolutions. "If he complies, or if he leaves the country tomorrow, there will be no war,'' Gen. Powell said in an interview on his way to Asia.

"People are hoping that war can be avoided. I hope it can be avoided. But the one who has the power in his hands to decide whether there will be a war or peace is Saddam Hussein,'' the top Bush administration official said. The Bush administration is going on a diplomatic blitz ahead of an impending second resolution in the Security Council that will seek authorisation for the use of force to ensure Baghdad's compliance on disarmament.

The U.S. President, George W Bush, is busy with his diplomatic agenda. On Saturday, at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, he will play host to the Prime Minister of Spain. On Friday, Mr. Bush spoke to the Emir of Kuwait and the United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan. Among the

Vice-President, Dick Cheney, the Secretary of State and the National Security Advisor, Condoleezza Rice, the administration hopes to complete the lobbying process in world capitals, especially from amongst the membership of the Security Council.

The Under-Secretary of State, John Bolton, is heading to Moscow early next week to seek the Russian support at the Security Council. The U.S. needs nine votes and no vetoes — thus far it has the support of Britain and Spain with Bulgaria as a "may be''. Even without a veto, it is a long way off.

Mr. Bush, for his part, did not rule out the possibility of a war even by the middle of March.

"That is very hard for me to tell. Even if I knew that date, I would not share it with the Iraqi leader," the President told a Spanish television network.

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