Facing almost certain defeat, the United States and Britain delayed a vote to give Saddam Hussein an ultimatum to disarm and signaled they might compromise to try to win support from Security Council members who oppose a rush to war.
The Bush administration had talked of a vote as early as Tuesday, but with France and Russia threatening to veto the current draft resolution, and without the minimum nine "yes" votes, it held up action in the council.
Instead, council members agreed to hold another open meeting on the Iraq crisis on Tuesday and Wednesday at the request of the Non-Aligned Movement, which represents about 115 mainly developing countries. Diplomats said it would likely delay a vote until Thursday at the earliest.
The open meeting will give nations from all parts of the world a chance to voice their views on an issue that has polarized the Security Council. It will also give supporters and opponents of the US-backed resolution more time to lobby the half dozen undecided countries on the council.
President Bush conducted an urgent phone campaign aimed at seeking support from world leaders for a March 17 deadline on Iraq. He talked to a host of top officials from Japan, China, South Africa, Oman, Spain and Turkey.
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