UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has been encouraging members of the Security Council today to seek common ground over whether to disarm Iraq by force or through continued arms inspections.
"I am working very hard," Mr Annan told reporters on the eve of tomorrow's council meeting to be attended by foreign ministers of the leading advocates and opponents of military action against Iraq.
"I am encouraging people to strive for a compromise, to seek common ground, and to make concessions."
Mr Annan has repeatedly said that the council can only hope to enforce its resolutions if its 15 members - particularly the five veto-bearing permanent members - are united.
A UN resolution needs a minimum of nine votes for adoption in the 15-nation Security Council and no veto from its five permanent members - the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China. Six council members - Mexico, Chile, Pakistan, Cameroon, Guinea and Angola - are uncommitted.
Yesterday, France and Russia hinted they may use their veto to block a US-British-Spanish draft resolution authorising immediate warfare. Germany, which does not have powers of veto, also indicated it would vote against the resolution.
Last night Britain softened its stance, proposing allowing Iraq more time to comply with UN demands following adoption of a resolution authorising war and military action.
The proposals were aimed at, and discussed with, several undecided members of the divided UN Security council that are uncomfortable with the US-British-Spanish.
The United States, Britain and Spain do not yet have the nine votes necessary to adopt a resolution in the 15-member Security Council. They want to push the draft resolution to a vote by the end of next week.
Whether the British proposals would be floated separately or result in a change of language in the current resolution is unclear. Envoys noted Washington did not want the draft amended.
The new proposals would set an interval of perhaps a week or less between adoption of the resolution and any military action and demand President Saddam Hussein disarm present or past weapons of mass destruction programmes.