UNITED NATIONS, Nov 5: The United Nations is close to agreeing a resolution on Iraq that gives Washington scope to act alone if Baghdad blocks arms inspections, US Secretary of State Colin Powell was quoted as saying on Tuesday.

He told the French daily Le Figaro he was confident weeks of negotiations in the UN Security Council over the issue were close to a compromise all Council members could live with.

The United States has said it expects to submit a resolution this week, intended to give unrestricted access to arms inspectors who will return to Iraq, and hopes for unanimous backing after amending it to meet concerns of other members.

Powell said the US resolution would call on the Council to decide action if Iraq did not comply with inspections, but that it would not rule out later action by individual countries.

“Whatever the Security Council decides, whether it decides to act or not, the United States and the other countries that feel as it does should not be handcuffed if they consider action necessary,” he said.

“My colleagues and I have been holding intense discussions for days in the Security Council...we are getting there.”

President Saddam Hussein has agreed to allow inspectors to return after a four-year absence and in a possible policy shift, said Iraq might comply with a new disarmament resolution as long as it did not “provide a cover for America’s ill intentions”.

Russia welcomed this on Tuesday..—Reuters