Washington, Oct 11: The United States is revising its draft UN Security Council resolution on Iraq in an attempt to garner support, Secretary of State Colin Powell has said. "We have some ideas for accommodating some of the concerns that have been expressed by council members on the last draft, while at the same time preserving our principles, preserving our position," Powell said on Friday. "We are trying to listen, take into account what we are hearing, bring the community back together around the resolution and I will know early next week how successful our effort has been after I've had a chance to talk to people and share some language with people." The US proposal appears to have been put on hold after criticism from UN Secretary General Kofi Annan earlier this week. Disagreements over how soon Iraqis could take political control of their country and over the size of the UN's role during that transition led Annan to oppose the US draft last week.

When asked if Washington would withdraw its proposal, Powell responded: "I'm not thinking of pulling it at the moment, but I might by Monday."

Bureau Report