US Secretary of State Colin Powell said tonight that Iraq has in the next few days one final opportunity to disarm peacefully.
Mr Powell claimed that the Iraqi President was ordering resumed production of Al Samoud 2 missiles even as others were being destroyed.
He also claimed that international divisions over the crisis encouraged Saddam Hussein to believe that he was right in the dispute.
Powell, who will attend the Security Council session on Friday, said the US was gaining support for a resolution finding Iraq had failed to take a 'final opportunity' to disarm as demanded by UN resolutions.
Such a resolution, Washington claims, would authorise military intervention.
But most Security Council members, influenced in part by powerful popular demonstrations around the world, have made it clear they would prefer to extend UN weapons inspections.
France, Russia, Germany to block resolution
Foreign ministers from France, Russia and Germany have agreed not to allow a resolution authorising war in Iraq to be passed in the UN Security Council.
Announcing the decision, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said the three countries also agreed to back more UN weapons inspections in Iraq.
'Russia and France as permanent security council members will fully assume all their responsibilities,' he added at a joint news conference with his counterparts Igor Ivanov of Russia and Joschka Fischer of Germany.
Observers took this to refer to the premanent members' veto power.
More missiles destroyed
Iraq destroyed nine more of its banned Al-Samoud missiles today, the largest number in one day since the process began last Saturday.
So far, a total of 28 missiles have been dismantled under UN supervision.
Annan denies Iraq plan
Secretary General Kofi Annan denied today that the organisation had drawn up a confidential plan to help establish a government in Iraq if President Saddam Hussein was ousted.
'The Times' newspaper in London had reported that it had seen such a plan.
It envisaged the UN taking over the administration of Iraq for a period of three months after a US-led invasion and steering the country towards self government.
