Powell tells senators Iraqi conclusion near

WASHINGTON -- Secretary of State Colin Powell told senators Thursday that "within weeks" the Iraqi situation will be brought to a conclusion "one way or another."\nSpeaking to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee one day after laying out the United States' case against Iraq before the United Nations, Powell said a key to winning Security Council support will be this weekend's trip to Baghdad by chief weapon inspectors Mohamed ElBaradei and Hans Blix.\nHe said council members are looking to see a change in attitude from Iraq, which the United States says is concealing illegal weapons programs.\nMeanwhile, Powell won praise from President Bush for his presentation of evidence supporting U.S. assertions that Iraq has not disarmed. Bush said the U.N. session Wednesday went "really good" and promised to say more about it later.\nWhite House officials said Bush was likely to address Powell's presentation later Thursday, perhaps with the secretary of state at his side.\nPowell also said that if Saddam Hussein wanted to show he was cooperating, he would allow the inspectors to meet with scientists and engineers who have worked on weapons programs. "He would not be giving them classes in how to keep secrets," he said.\nPowell said the administration would work toward a second U.N. resolution, but it could proceed with war without one. Powell said U.N. Security Council members knew when they approved a resolution last year calling on Iraq to disarm that Iraq would be subjected to military action if it failed to comply.\nPowell said that at the time, he told council members who approved the resolution unanimously that they shouldn't vote for it if they wouldn't support a second resolution "when serious consequences are called for -- Don't play that double game."\nWhite House spokesman Ari Fleischer said the trend of world opinion is moving in the United States' direction.\n"The world is increasingly seeing this from the United States' point of view -- that Saddam Hussein must disarm, if he does not disarm a coalition will be assembled to disarm him," he said. "There may be some corners, some minority opinion that do not believe that, but that is why diplomacy remains important and will continue to be pursued."\nPowell said the United States is providing weapons inspectors with "all of the information they can use." He said "60 different sets of data" have been submitted to inspectors.\nAsked whether the danger to the United States was greater from Iraq's weapons programs or from war -- and the possibility it could lead to new terrorist attacks, Powell said "I don't think we can simply turn away because we're afraid that if military action is required it would cause some other problems with respect to terrorism."\nPowell received effusive praise from committee members, both Democrats and Republicans. Democrats, especially, have been reluctant to endorse war with Iraq even while agreeing that Baghdad has a record of years of defiance.\nThe committee's top Democrat, Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, said "I am proud to be associated with you."\n"I think you did better than anyone could have because of your standing, your reputation and your integrity as it is understood by our European friends as well as others around the world," he said.\nBut Biden also encouraged Powell to keep seeking support of the members of U.N. Security Council.\n"Although it's a Herculean task, I believe that it is possible to bring most along and leave others in a position where they are not objecting," he said.\nPresident Bush, appearing Thursday morning at the National Prayer Breakfast, said a potential war in Iraq and the constant threat of terrorism pose "a testing time for our country."\n"One thing is for certain, we didn't ask for these challenges, but we will meet them. I say that with certainty because this nation has strong foundations that won't be shaken," Bush said.\nOn Wednesday, Powell methodically made his case that Iraq has defied all demands that it disarm. He presented tape recordings of intercepted telephone calls, satellite photos and informants' statements Wednesday that he said constituted "irrefutable and undeniable" evidence that Saddam was concealing weapons of mass destruction.\nIn Baghdad, Iraqi officials dismissed Powell's case as a collection of "stunts," "special effects" and "unknown sources" aimed at undermining the work of U.N. arms inspectors in Iraq.\nAs for U.S. allies, most believe more weapons inspections are necessary before any resort to force in Iraq, although French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin, speaking after Powell's presentation of declassified intelligence, left open the use of force as an option. He also called for more inspections in Iraq.\nMeanwhile, the U.N.'s chief nuclear inspector said that Iraq has to demonstrate "drastic change" in its cooperation with weapons inspectors.\n"Iraq is not cooperating fully, they need to show drastic change in terms of cooperation," Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said after a meeting in London Thursday with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.\nAlthough Bush has not made a decision to attack Iraq, the number of U.S. troops in the Persian Gulf region now stands at about 113,000, and it is expected to reach 150,000 by Feb. 15, a senior official said Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.\nOn Thursday, Turkey's parliament voted to allow the United States to begin renovating military bases and ports for a possible Iraq war, a first step toward opening the way for U.S. combat troops.