Any US-British resolution seeking UN authorisation for war against Iraq may not be pushed to a vote before early March, after another report by chief weapons inspector Dr Hans Blix, diplomats said on this afternoon.
Before making a final decision about launching a military strike, the United States appears willing to devote a few weeks to getting international support, leading analysts and diplomats to believe a possible attack would not take place before mid-March.
But the language of a draft resolution has still not been agreed on by President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Its distribution to the 15-member UN Security Council, originally expected today, is delayed until later in the week or early next week.
In the face of strong opposition to war in the Security Council, some knowledgeable envoys believe the United States and Britain will wait for any vote on a resolution until Dr Blix's next report in hopes he will deliver criticism of Iraq that would rally support for military action.
Dr Blix, along with his colleague Dr Mohammed ElBaradei, in charge of nuclear arms inspectors, is to give a written update to the Security Council at the end of the month or early in March on the inspectors' progress and Iraq's cooperation
His report may include "key unresolved questions" that Iraq may answer. He is expected to report orally to the council during the first week of March.
To prepare for the report, Dr Blix will next week meet with his outside advisory board, called a College of Commissioners, which is made up of technical experts and government officials from around the world.
The draft resolution is expected to be simple and say Iraq is in "further material breach" of a November 8th Security Council resolution giving Baghdad one last opportunity to disarm or face serious consequences. The words "material breach" can be used as legal justification for military force.
The draft may give President Saddam Hussein a deadline to comply with Security Council demands. But this warning may also appear in a separate statement issued by the United States and Britain, the diplomats said.
The Bush administration also was weighing whether weapons inspectors should first set certain tasks for Iraq to fulfill.
Members could then assess whether Iraq is cooperating with so-called "benchmarks" and if it does not comply, the United States would have an easier time pushing a resolution to a successful vote. But diplomats said this plan seems to have been discarded.