A draft report due to be presented to the United Nations by its Chief Weapons inspector, Dr Hans Blix, is critical of Iraq's efforts to disarm.
In the report seen by the BBC, Dr Blix says Iraq could have made greater efforts to find proscribed weapons and to provide credible evidence that some of them have been destroyed.
He also says the inspections aimed at disarming Iraq have produced "very limited" results.
Meanwhile, under intense pressure from hawks and doves, UN Security Council discussed for the first time today a US-British-Spanish draft resolution that lays the groundwork for war against Iraq.
The debate is understood to have ended without any consensus.
Several council envoys told reporters it was important to have unity among the 15 members, without revealing what they would do if there were no consensus.
The French ambassador at the UN, Mr Jean-Marc de La Sabliere, said the majority of countries "do not think it is time to go to war and it is possible to disarm Iraq by peaceful means".
An Iraqi official, who declined to be named, said Baghdad was "seriously and genuinely" studying a UN request that it destroy missiles which inspectors say exceed range restrictions, and would reply in the form of a letter to the Security Council within the next two days.
The response came shortly before the Security Council was to open discussions on a US-British-Spanish draft resolution that said Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had "failed" to meet disarmament demands, diplomatic language that could trigger war.
It also came one day after chief UN weapons inspector Dr Hans Blix issued his harshest criticism of Baghdad in a month, saying while there was evidence of increased activity by Iraq it was still not clear Saddam had made a "fundamental decision" to disarm.
Meanwhile troops and equipment from anIraqi Republican Guard division have begun moving southwardtoward Baghdad from their base near Mosul in northern Iraq,US defence officials said today.
The officials, speaking as the United States built a majorforce in the Gulf for a possible invasion of Iraq, saidthe purpose of the move was not clear. It was also not known ifthe whole division would be moved, possibly to help defendPresident Saddam Hussein's home city of Tikrit or to Baghdad.
"It started in the last couple of days and they are in theprocess of moving now," said one of the officials.
The officials said the units being moved were not part ofSaddam's Special Republican Guard, an elite force of up to15,000 troops. Most of them are stationed near Baghdad and arethe backbone of a protective cordon for Iraq's president.
Meanwhile, under intense pressure from hawks and doves, UN Security Council discussed for the first time today a US-British-Spanish draft resolution that lays the groundwork for war against Iraq.
Several council envoys told reporters it was important to have unity among the 15 members, without revealing what they would do if there were no consensus.
And in an effort to dissuade council members from voting for the resolution, France, Germany and Russia are pushing proposals in the closed-door meeting that would intensify UN arms inspections and continue them for at least four months. No vote is expected for about two weeks.