The United States is preparing to revise its U.N. draft resolution on Iraq to better reflect the views of France and Russia without compromising on key points, a move that will delay U.N. Security Council action until at least the middle of next week, a senior U.S. official said yesterday (see GSN, Oct. 31).

It would take the United States about two days to revise its draft resolution, at which point diplomats would consult with their respective governments, the official said.  Discussions on the revised resolution would not occur until next week, with a vote delayed until the middle of next week or later, the Associated Press reported (Barry Schweid, Associated Press/Philadelphia Inquirer, Nov. 1).

U.N. Debate

Senior British diplomats also have indicated that the Security Council could vote on a new resolution on Iraq within the next two weeks, the Financial Times reported today.

Discussions among the U.S., British, French and Russian foreign ministers are believed to have created enough support for a new resolution that requires the United Nations to “consider” what actions to take if Iraq violates the resolution.

“Activity has been so intense in recent days that you might have thought the French, British and American foreign ministers were Iraq desk officers,” a British diplomat said.

The United States and France, which have often opposed each other during the debate on the resolution, have reduced their differences over its text, according to British officials.  French officials, however, said the language was still unacceptable and that France would find it difficult to approve a resolution not also supported by Russia and China.

Lingering differences between the United States and France on the language of the resolution have reached a point where there is less urgency in ending the debate, a British Foreign Office official said.

“The differences in the Security Council have now been narrowed down to such an extent that [U.S. Secretary of State] Colin Powell and [British Foreign Secretary] Jack Straw do not feel we have to pile the pressure on to get the resolution approved this week,” the official said.  “We are prepared to let things run for a bit longer” (Blitz/Hoyos, Financial Times, Nov. 1).

For further information, see:

UNMOVIC

U.N. Resolution 687 (Sanctions Regime)

U.N. Resolution 1409 (“Smart Sanctions”)

U.S. State Department Fact Sheet on Iraqi Sanctions Revisions

IAEA Iraq Action Team

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