Straw rejects bid to fend off conflict

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw today set out to reject a plan by France, Germany and Russia to fend off the threat of war in Iraq through more weapons inspections.

He was due to say that even a "thousand-fold" increase in the number of inspectors could not guarantee disarmament by Saddam Hussein.

Mr Straw was making his London address as a row splitting Nato raged on over the decision by France, Belgium and Germany to veto plans to protect Turkey from military fallout from a Gulf conflict.

As ambassadors met in Brussels today in a desperate bid to find a way forward, France's President Jacques Chirac and Russia's President Vladimir Putin expressed determination to seek a diplomatic resolution to the Iraq crisis.

Together with Germany, the two countries are expected to use Friday's meeting of the United Nations Security Council to table a plan for a major increase in inspector numbers and the extension of no-fly zones to the whole of Iraq.

Mr Putin predicted a majority of the council would back the scheme, while M Chirac said: "There is still an alternative to war. We are sure of it."

But Mr Straw was set to warn: "Lethal viruses can be produced in an area the size of the average living-room. In the absence of Iraqi cooperation, even a thousandfold increase in the inspectors' capabilities will not allow us to establish with any degree of confidence that Iraq has disarmed. If Saddam bows to the UN demand and co-operates promptly, what is the need for greater numbers of inspectors? If he maintains his refusal to co-operate, how will higher numbers help?"

The Franco-German proposal has already been dismissed by Washington and the countries' veto of the deployment of Nato Patriot missiles to Turkey has sparked fury in America-US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld characterised the veto as "shameful".

The US is sticking to its timetable for war on Saddam, and will go it alone if necessary to protect Turkey.

Ground operations in Iraq are likely to start in less than six weeks, according to defence analysts in Washington and London. Most British and American units will be in place in and around the Gulf by the end of this month.

A ferocious bombing campaign of about two weeks will begin early in March, with ground operations beginning around 21 March.

President Bush is likely to take no notice of a plea from the chief UN arms inspector Hans Blix for more time for his inspectors when he presents his next report on Friday.