Editorial: U.N. approves resolution

Last week, the U.N. Security Council unanimously approved a resolution demanding that Iraq allow weapons inspectors in to search for weapons of mass destruction. What is remarkable about the resolution, and a testament to the efforts and Secretary of State Colin Powell, is the unanimity of the resolution, which even Syria, an Arab-nation backed.

Iraq has a week in which to agree to the inspections, after which there is a month for inspectors to go into Iraq and search for weapons. The resolution does not spell out what the consequences of Iraqi non-compliance will be, leaving it open to interpretation by the United States and the United Nations as to what actions and methods will be used to enforce the U.N. Resolution.

The United Nations seems to be taking a wait-and-see posture, since the resolution has no automatic triggers as a basis for the use of force, a fact that American U.N. Ambassador John Negroponte made perfectly clear. Indeed, Negroponte indicated that the United States would come back to the Security Council to discuss any new Iraqi violations and the appropriate response to them, including force.

The fact that the Bush administration is binding itself to the Security Council's timetable and has committed to returning to the Security Council to discuss future actions is an encouraging sign. Although the United States may not need international approval or support in order to take action against Iraq, by working with the United Nations the Bush administration is showing that there is a broad coalition of countries that oppose Iraq.

Obviously, the U.N. resolution is a productive step; more than just posturing by Bush and his advisors, this is a substantive, forceful resolution with a clear timetable and a clear intent that is backed with a threat. However, the one area the resolution is open ended about is the response if Iraq fails to comply with weapons inspectors, as its past history of duplicity suggests it probably will.

In a sense, then, this resolution is putting off the crucial decision until a later date, although it is not putting off the decision indefinitely. Hopefully, Bush and the United Nations can still find a peaceful way to settle this dispute with Iraq, even though past history seems to suggest that may not be possible and that more serious steps will need to be taken to neutralize Saddam's threat.

Whatever course of action is settled upon, hopefully Bush will continue to work closely with the international community.