March 5, 2003	Wednesday	Muharram 1, 1424

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UNITED NATIONS, March 4: The United States is expected to push the UN Security Council for a vote on the resolution authorizing war against Iraq next Monday despite scepticism expressed by most members of the council, diplomats and officials here said, on Tuesday.

Some diplomats here also said that they fear that US could launch an attack against Iraq as early as the second week of March “with or without a United Nations mandate” although even its closest ally, Tony Blair of Britain, wants such an authority to appease public opinion at home.

On Monday, US and British officials said the draft resolution, which declares Iraq had “failed” to meet its obligations to dismantle its banned weapons systems, should be put before the 15-member council for a vote the week of March 10.

John Negroponte, US ambassador to the UN, said he expected a vote “quite soon,” after chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix delivers another report to the Security Council on Friday.

“Our view is that we don’t need to debate this very simple and straightforward resolution,” Mr Negroponte told reporters on Monday.

In a last-minute effort, Chile, Mexico and Pakistan have contemplated a Canadian proposal which has specific tests or “benchmarks” Iraq has to fulfil by about March 28 or face the possibility of war.

But after a two-hour meeting on Monday between Canadian Ambassador Paul Heinbecker and the 10 elected, temporary council members, Chile’s deputy ambassador was not certain if a concrete proposal would emerge.

“There are lots of possibilities that could be applied there,” Chile’s Christian Maquieira said after the meeting at Mexico’s UN mission. “But we are still far from getting a document,” he said.

Pakistan Ambassador, Munir Akram said while the Canadian proposal had some merit, but it was not going anywhere without support from US and Britain.