Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov has said Russia is opposed to any resolution that would lead to a war in Iraq and has not ruled out using a veto at the UN.
"Russia does not support any resolution which could directly or indirectly open the way to an armed resolution of the Iraq problem," Ivanov told a news conference in Beijing.
"Naturally, Russia has the right of veto. If the interest of international stability demands it, Russia, of course will exercise its right," he said.
Among the 10 members that are elected for two-year terms, six including Chile and Mexico have come under intense pressure by all sides to vote for or against the resolution.
"This divided council is in fact throwing the decision on the back of the elected members while the permanent members stick to their positions without making efforts to approximate their views," Chilean ambassador Gabriel Valdes said.
Washington's strategy is to get the minimum nine votes needed to adopt the resolution and then dare any veto-bearing nation, such as Russia, China or France, to kill the resolution.
France has the reverse strategy: if the United States does not get the nine votes, it would be spared making a decision about whether or not to veto the measure.
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said he was confident the second resolution would be approved. He also hinted at some flexibility over the wording of the new resolution.