US Secretary of State Colin Powell's presentation of alleged Iraqi attempts to thwart UN inspections has failed to sway key Security Council members from their opposition to war.
Although nearly every council member agreed that Saddam Hussein's government fell far short of compliance, few suggested Iraq presented a big enough threat to warrant war.
The next step is a trip to Baghdad this weekend by chief UN inspector Dr Hans Blix and his colleague, Mr Mohamed El Baradei, after which they will address the Security Council on February 14th.
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The United States, which has amassed troops in the Gulf region for any invasion, hopes their reports will convince sceptics that further inspections are useless.
But France, China and Russia, who have veto power in the 15-member council, maintained past positions that UN arms inspectors needed more time. So did six other council members.
Mexico, Cameroon, Guinea, Pakistan as well as Syria joined France, Russia, China and Germany in calling for further inspections and hoped for a peaceful outcome.
The purpose of Mr Powell's 80-minute address was to show Iraq was able to move equipment and bulldoze suspected sites in violation of a tough Security Council resolution adopted on November 8th.
Mr Powell used satellite photos to show before and after shots of suspected chemical weapons facilities that had disappeared and played recordings of intercepted conversations between Iraqi military officials to make his points.
"Unless we act we are confronting an even more frightening future," Mr Powell said. "Clearly, Saddam will stop at nothing until something stops him".
Mr Powell said Iraq gave orders to sanitise documents that referred to "nerve agents," had hidden sensitive documents in cars that were driven around the country and placed weapons scientists under house arrest to keep them from inspectors.
Iraq dismissed Mr Powell's evidence as "cartoon films". In New York, Iraqi UN ambassador Mr Mohammed Aldouri said that weapons of mass destruction were not like aspirins, easily hidden but required "huge production facilities".