The world's most powerful countries revealed deep divisions on Iraq yesterday, with Russia, China and France refusing to toe Washington's uncompromising line.
The US has proposed a tough new UN resolution paving the way for possible war against Iraq, but Britain is the only other of the five veto-wielding permanent Security Council members to back it.
Russia joined France to rule out mention of automatic use of force in the draft and called instead for the swift return of weapons inspectors to Baghdad under existing UN agreements.
"Attempts to make the UN Security Council subscribe to automatic use of force against Iraq are unacceptable for us," Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Saltanov told Interfax news agency.
In Paris, French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder agreed there was much common ground between their positions on Iraq, which contrast starkly with Washington and London's interventionist approach.
China joined the dovish chorus, calling for a political solution to the Iraqi crisis and the smooth resumption of UN weapons inspections.
US President George W. Bush secured domestic support on Wednesday for his anti-Iraq campaign as leaders of the House of Representatives closed ranks behind possible military force.
But with opposition abroad ever more vocal, Washington has hesitated in introducing to the Security Council its draft resolution, which demands Iraq open every inch of its territory to inspectors or face attack.
Baghdad has already rejected the draft resolution and other countries think the best route to disarmament is to send inspectors back quickly under existing agreements.
"What the US and the British have provided us with only strengthens us in the correctness of our position in favour of the quickest possible resumption of inspection activities in Iraq," Russia's Saltanov said.
Iraq has said it will allow inspectors, who left in 1998, back into the country, but it has indicated it wants some limits on their work.
Chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix reports to the Security Council on Thursday after reaching agreement with Baghdad on letting inspectors back in.
Blix had intended to send some advance teams to Iraq in about two weeks but the US is expected to tell him to hold off and wait for a new resolution.
Doves fear the draft, which allows a UN member, such as the US, to determine if Iraq has violated UN demands and follow up with military action, is merely a cover for unilateral US action.
Bush warned on Wednesday that if Saddam "persists in his defiance, the use of force may become unavoidable".
Diplomats at the UN said France had threatened to push its own resolution on Iraq if Washington introduced the proposals without any compromise.
A key Security Council diplomat said Paris wanted some of the "wilder" provisions taken out of the new US text.
Otherwise, France would circulate rival proposals for a two-stage approach, the first offering Iraq a chance to cooperate but saying the council would consider "any measure" if Baghdad failed to comply with its obligations. The second resolution would threaten force if necessary.
RSS