UN vote delayed in bid to swing sceptics

Britain and the United States will launch a desperate drive to win wider support for a war on Iraq today by agreeing to important concessions on a second UN resolution.

The two countries have decided to delay until later this week a vote in the Security Council and have accepted the idea of a short, clear "checklist" of disarmament demands for Saddam Hussein, defining the Iraqi weapons of mass destruction yet to be accounted for. British diplomats in New York will even discuss suggestions from the so-called "swing six" Security Council members that the 17 March deadline for compliance by Iraq be put back. But Colin Powell, the US Secretary of State, and Condoleezza Rice, the National Security Adviser, showed little sign of flexibility on extending the deadline beyond 17 March.

General Powell and Tony Blairaim to secure a consensus among Chile, Mexico, Pakistan, Angola, Guinea and Cameroon, the members whose votes could secure the UK-US-Spanish resolution.

The political dangers of not obtaining a fresh UN mandate were underlined yesterday when Mr Blair suffered the first resignation over the issue. Andy Reed, the parliamentary private secretary to Margaret Beckett, the Environment Secretary, quit in protest at the lack of time being given to UN weapons inspectors.