Clinton Tells Iraq to Comply Immediately With U.N. Orders

WASHINGTON — President Clinton sounded a more aggressive note against Iraq on Thursday, saying that Baghdad must comply immediately with U.N. demands and that military force is a live option.

The president issued an angrily worded written statement after the U.N. Security Council, in a resolution approved by a unanimous 15-0 vote, condemned Iraq’s decision to stop cooperating with U.N. weapons inspectors.

Clinton said the resolution left no doubt that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein must immediately resume full cooperation with U.N. weapons inspectors--”no ifs, no ands, no buts about it.”

Defense Secretary William S. Cohen, on a trip to Europe and the Middle East to drum up support against Iraq, reported finding Gulf Arab states “united in their condemnation” of Hussein’s latest defiance.

Clinton, asked if he was concerned about reports that some states on Cohen’s itinerary were cool to the idea of tougher action against Iraq, said:

“We believe we’ll have the support we need, and all options are on the table.”

Clinton was dispatching his national security advisor, Samuel R. “Sandy” Berger, to Paris for a Saturday meeting with his British and French counterparts on appropriate next steps, the White House said.