WASHINGTON - The Bush administration has neared a compromise with United Nations Security Council members on an ultimatum demanding that Iraq disarm, U.S. and foreign officials said yesterday.
The United States will submit a revised text for a resolution to the Security Council by midweek, with a vote likely to follow within days.
"I expect we're looking at the end of the week" for a vote, said White House spokesman Sean McCormack.
Mexican Foreign Minister Jorge Castaneda said yesterday that Mexico, with a seat on the Security Council, helped broker compromise language he predicted would be backed by 14 of the 15 council members. Syria was likely to abstain, he said.
"The impression now is that there is now an agreement, that it is a very good agreement for the world, for the United Nations and for Mexico," Castaneda said in an interview on Radio Red in Mexico City.
Castaneda said the draft resolution does not include an explicit threat of force against Iraq should it fail to comply with weapons inspections. The language threatening military action was sought by the Bush administration but ran into stiff resistance from other Security Council members, notably France and Russia.
"First, there is no mention of the use of force, not even the euphemism of 'by all means necessary,' which is the euphemism that is customarily used," Castaneda said of the comprise. But he conceded that in coming days "there could be certain changes" to the document.
President Bush called Mexican President Vicente Fox yesterday to discuss the resolution. A week ago at a summit in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, Fox said he was not ready to support the resolution.
In another sign of an impending resolution, Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein suggested yesterday that he would accept a new weapons inspections regime, as long as it had full U.N. backing.
"Iraq will respect any behavior or decision that is issued in accordance with the U.N. Charter and international law," state-run Iraqi television quoted Hussein as saying during a meeting with South African envoy Aziz Behad.
Hussein stressed that he viewed such a resolution as an alternative to U.S. military action, not a green light for future attacks. "The most important thing is that we don't let America get the international cover for its aggression," Hussein said. "If it unilaterally launches an aggression against us, we will confront it, God willing, although the Iraqis will be subjected to harm because America does not stop at anything."
Bush reiterated yesterday his determination to confront Hussein. "If Saddam Hussein won't disarm, and if the United Nations is incapable of doing its duty, the United States will lead a coalition and disarm Saddam Hussein," Bush said during a Republican campaign rally in Bentonville, Ark.
Secretary of State Colin L. Powell talked with his French, British and Mexican counterparts over the weekend, said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher.
Boucher said the United States had not retreated from the three central demands Bush has insisted upon for weeks.
"There must be a clear statement of Iraq's failure to comply with its obligations, there has to be a tough inspection regime and there have to be serious consequences in the event of new Iraqi violations," Boucher said.