Meeting Between President Bush and Tony Blair in Washington - 2003-01-31

President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair met today at the White House for discussions expected to focus on efforts to compel Baghdad to dismantle its weapons of mass destruction. In this meeting, President Bush will negotiate and exchange views with Mr. Blair, his staunchest ally in the effort to force Baghdad to eliminate its weapons of mass destruction. Both leaders have pledged that if Iraqi President Saddam Hussein remains indifferent to a United Nations resolution on disarmament, which was passed late last year, they will resort to force. The British leader, a few hours before his scheduled meeting with President Bush, told CNN that he believes any military action should be sanctioned by another UN resolution authorizing the use of force. The Bush administration has previously stated that while it prefers the adoption of another UN Security Council resolution regarding Iraq before any military action to compel Iraq to disarm, it does not see it as mandatory. Earlier this week, Britain and several other European countries pledged to support the U.S. efforts to compel Iraq to disarm. France and Germany, however, remain opposed to a military attack on Iraq.