The United States has taken an amended draft resolution on Iraq to the United Nations Security Council. It is the third resolution to be circulated by Washington since early last month.
American diplomats hope that France and Russia will approve the measure after objecting to the two previous drafts. The Washington Post has reported that France is close to accepting the wording, but Russia is not.
A Security Council resolution needs a minimum of nine out of 15 votes for adoption and no veto from its five permanent members: the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China.
The Reuters News agency reports the following main points of the draft:
1. Iraq has to confirm within seven days of adoption of the resolution its intention to "comply fully" with its demands and cooperate with U.N. weapons inspectors.
2. Iraq must declare within 30 days all weapons of mass destruction programs and related materials.
3. Inspectors should resume their work no later than 45 days after the adoption of the resolution.
4. Inspectors are to update the Security Council 60 days after that, but they can report any Iraqi violations sooner.
5. Inspectors are to get unconditional and unrestricted access to any place they want to survey, including President Saddam Hussein's palace compounds.
6. Inspectors may "at their discretion" ask Iraqi scientists and other officials as well as their families to leave the country for interviews.
7. Inspectors can "freeze" a site to be scrutinized by declaring exclusion zones in which Iraq is to suspend "ground and aerial" movements.
8. U.N. guards will protect inspectors' facilities.
9. The resolution recalls the Security Council has repeatedly warned Iraq it would face "serious consequences" as a result of continued violations of its obligations.
10 The resolution decides that Iraq is still and has been in "material breach" of its obligations under U.N. resolutions. But Iraq is given "a final opportunity" to comply with its disarmament obligations.
11 "False statements and omissions" in declarations submitted by Iraq and failure to cooperate fully in the implementation of the resolution would constitute a "further material breach" of Iraq's obligations and "will be reported to the council for assessment."
12 Inspectors are to report to the Security Council any "interference by Iraq with inspection activities as well as any failure by Iraq to comply with its disarmament obligations." The council then meets "to consider the situation and the need for full compliance" on the part of Iraq.
