The United States has warned France that it would view any French veto of a new United Nations resolution authorising force as "very unfriendly".
The US ambassador in Paris issued the warning today after France said it and Germany opposed what it called a shift towards "a logic of war" and circulated a rival proposal that would give UN weapons inspectors at least four more months.
The US ambassador, Mr Howard Leach, said he hoped France would agree the United Nations had to take action.
"I hope there won't be a veto because a veto would be very unfriendly and we would not look favourably on that," he said, according to a French translation of his remarks in English.
Even as he spoke, other members of the decision-making UN Security Council added their voices to the chorus of scepticism over the resolution, clouding Washington's hopes of winning the nine votes needed to pass it by mid-March.
Russia has backed the French proposal as has fellow veto-holder China, with some reservations. Beijing said it saw no need for a new resolution and believed diplomatic energies should focus on forcing Baghdad to disarm without war.
Syria, the only Arab country on the 15-member council, said it would vote against it; Angola, Cameroon and Pakistan said they had yet to decide what to do.
Pakistan, which faces unrest from Islamic militants if it votes for war against Iraq, may abstain, diplomats said.
Washington, London and Madrid submitted the draft resolution to the polarised council on Monday. It declared that Iraq had squandered its "final opportunity" to disarm.