The United States is to seek UN authority to disarm Iraq by force with the presentation of a new resolution to the 15-member Security Council tonight.
White House spokesman Mr Ari Fleischer said the US plans to submit a draft resolution to the council later today, and a UN spokeswoman said the council would hold consultations behind closed doors at 8.30 GMT.
Mr Fleischer said the draft "will be very short, to the point, and underscore the importance" of council Resolution 1441, adopted November 8th, three weeks before the inspections resumed after a gap of four years.
Resolution 1441 warned Iraq of "serious consequences" if it did not make full and honest disclosure of its nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and ballistic missiles and cooperate fully with the United Nations arms inspectors.
Mid-March was "not a bad estimate" Mr Fleischer said when asked when the council might vote on the new US draft.
A draft needs the support of at least nine of the 15 council members to be adopted as a resolution, and any of the five permanent members has veto power.
Two of the five - France and Russia - reiterated today that they were against the use of force, for the present at least.
A new council resolution would be "not useful," French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said after meeting in Brussels with his counterparts from the 14 other European Union states.