HIGHLIGHTS|| Key Council Members France, Russia & China Did Not Budge|| Iraq in 'material breach' of UN Resolutions, Says Powell|| Chief Inspectors to Baghdad Next Saturday to Urge Regime to Show Change of Attitude|| France Urges UN Inspections Be Strengthened|| North Korea Sounds a Defiant Note Even as Powell Spoke|| 'Weapons Are Not Like Aspirin Pill', Iraq Tells UN Security Council|| U.S. Military Build up Continues|| STORYDespite a one-and-a half hour dramatic presentation of so-called evidence against Iraq, U.S. Secretary of State, Colin Powell appears to have failed to change many minds among the 15 Security Council members, with most saying inspectors needed more time. Key council members France, Russia and China did not budge.

Mr. Powell on Wednesday used audio tapes of intercepted Iraqi conversations and satellite photos to argue Iraq concealed arms by bulldozing chemical weapons sites, hiding rocket launchers under palm trees and moving mobile bioweapon labs on trucks.

In a high-stakes speech before the U.N. Security Council, Powell sought to convince skeptical nations it may be necessary to use force to disarm Iraq rather than allow U.N. weapons inspections to go on indefinitely.

His rapid-fire speech included audiotapes of Iraqi officials who he said were discussing how to hide things from inspectors and aerial photos of what he said were cleaned up chemical arms bunkers.

Powell said Iraq gave orders to sanitize documents that referred to "nerve agents," had hidden sensitive documents in cars that were driven around the country and placed weapons scientists under house arrest to keep them from inspectors.

He revealed new information in making a case about alleged Qaeda ties to Iraq, saying members of a group affiliated with Abu Musab Zarqawi, who has had contacts with al Qaeda, have been operating freely in Baghdad for eight months.

Powell showed photos of what he said were 15 munitions bunkers, and said reports showed Iraq had 18 trucks as biological weapons laboratories.

Iraq in Material Breach of UN Resolutions, Says Powell

In his presentation, Powell argued that Iraq is in "further material breach" of U.N. resolutions. He demanded that Iraq disarm and said it was now in danger of suffering "serious consequences," diplomatic code words for possible war.

In financial markets, stocks and oil prices rose and safe-haven U.S. Treasuries slipped.

The Bush administration hopes that Powell's speech, followed by a report by U.N. arms inspectors on Feb. 14, would fulfill requirements in a key Nov. 8 resolution 1441, even if the Security Council does not explicitly authorize force.

The inspectors, Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei are going to Baghdad this weekend, possibly their last trip.

Change in Attitude Required

Asked what would happen next, Powell told reporters later: "It is a matter for the Security Council to deal with them (Iraq)," he said. "We will wait and see what happens when the inspectors go to Baghdad this weekend."

"I think that'll be a very important meeting, where they will tell the council whether or not there has been any change in attitude," Powell told CBS television's "60 Minutes II."

Administration officials said that despite public statements by many council members asking for more time, Chile, Cameroon, and Angola in private discussions gave support to U.S. policy in addition to Spain, Bulgaria and staunch ally Britain.

France Urges UN Inspections Be Strengthened

France's foreign minister called on the Security Council to strengthen its inspection regime and said military action against Baghdad should be only a final resort. Russia, China, Germany, Mexico, Guinea, Syria and others said inspectors should be given more time.

"The message today has been clear," U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said. "Everyone wants Iraq to be proactive in cooperating with the inspectors and fulfill the demands of the international community. And if they do that, we can avoid a war."

"I am not going to Baghdad, but the inspectors are going and they should be listened to," Annan said.

North Korea Sounds a Defiant Note Even as Powell Spoke

As Powell spoke, North Korea, which Washington named with Iraq and Iran as an "axis of evil" after the Sept. 11 attacks, sounded a defiant note, saying it had restarted atomic facilities at the center of its suspected nuclear weapons program and was putting them on a "normal footing."

The United States and North Korea have been at an impasse over its suspected program since October. But in contrast with its approach to Iraq, Washington has said repeatedly it intends to settle differences with Pyongyang peacefully.

Weapons Are 'Not Like Aspirin Pill', Says Aldouri

Iraq's U.N. ambassador Mohammed Aldouri, the last to speak to the Security Council, accused Powell of manufacturing evidence and said Baghdad had no banned weapons.

"Programs for weapons of mass destruction are not like an aspirin pill, easily hidden. They require huge production facilities, starting from research and development facilities, to factories, to weaponization, then deployment," he said.

"Inspectors have criss-crossed all of Iraq and have found none of that," Aldouri said.

Powell played audio of Iraqi officers discussing the possibility that U.N. inspectors might find "modified" vehicles and "forbidden" ammunition.

"We have this modified vehicle ... What do we say if one of them sees it?" says an Iraqi colonel in one audiotape.

"You didn't get a modified ... you don't have a modified," replies an incredulous general. "I'll come to see you in the morning.
I'm worried. You all have something left."

"We evacuated everything. We don't have anything left," the junior officer replies.

In another intercepted conversation, which Powell said took place as recently as Jan. 20 between officers of the elite Iraqi Republican Guard, Iraqi officials discussed cleaning up sites where inspectors might find "forbidden" weapons.

With U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Director George Tenet sitting behind him, Powell also displayed aerial photographs that he said showed a chemical weapons site before and after being cleaned up by Iraqi officials.

In the first image, he showed what he said was a bunker to store chemical weapons with a "decontamination vehicle" to deal with any leaks and a guard post to keep people away. In the second, the vehicle is gone, the area appears to have been cleaned up and U.N. inspectors are driving up to the site.

U.S. Military Build up Continues

The U.S. military continued to build up its forces this week as the Pentagon deployed F-117A Stealth fighters, sent the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier toward the Middle East and activated nearly 17,000 more Reserve troops, bringing the reservists on active duty to more than 111,000.

In another sign the region is bracing for war, Kuwait said it would close the northern half of the country bordering Iraq from Feb. 15 to step up training to defend against any attack and would close its airspace if war broke out.

PHOTO CAPTION

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell speaks about Iraq to the U.N. Security Council, in New York February 5, 2003. (Ray Stubblebine/Re