Surely this issue should be about the ability of the UN to enforce its resolutions.

If 1441 is inappropriate then it is the fault of the UN for approving it.

1441 received unanimous approval. The UN should for once enforce the resolution in whatever means is necessary, not US, UK or Spain.

I am not conviced any nation would favour military action, as opposed to "war", in preference to diplomacy. Whilst France, Russia et al are prevaricating they are the ones perhaps who should be showing their commitment to the UN by actively engaging, as UN representatives, Iraq in diplomacy to remedy the situation. If all the diplomatic efforts have genuinely failed then a last resort surely must be invoked.

The more the US displays signs of acting alone the more this is seen as a US vs Iraq situation (war). If the US can be convinced to be acting as part of the UN and not alone then the whole issue will proceed with a far greater degree of legitimacy.

The failure of the UN to enforce a resolution, which must be assumed to be properly conceived and well thought out, poses a far greater threat to world peace and stability than any single dictator.

All the UN nations must work out what it is the UN stands for and support that objective.