White House officials prepare for last round of shuttle diplomacy in push for second resolution

Senior Bush administration officials may hit the road in the next few days in a last-ditch effort to persuade members of the UN Security Council to back the passage of a second resolution authorising war against Iraq.

Those officials include Colin Powell, the US Secretary of State, and Condoleezza Rice, the National Security Adviser, who will try to secure support from countries other than Britain and Spain, who are already backing the resolution.

The suggestion came amid signs yesterday that London might be ready to consider a further delay in the 17 March deadline for Saddam Hussein to disarm – though there was scant sign of that from Ms Rice or from General Powell. "There may well be a need for us to do some travel," Ms Rice said on ABC television's This Week programme. But she added: "17 March is plenty of time, and we don't need any more time."

The United States appeared yesterday to be struggling to secure support from the required nine-vote majority on the Council. In an attempt to garner as much backing as possible, Britain, the US and Spain have agreed to delay the vote on the resolution, possibly until Thursday or Friday. Downing Street said it would be "later rather than sooner this week" and that the UK "will listen to colleagues" about changing the 17 March deadline.

Chile, one of the six members of the Council that have not made up their minds, made it clear that it thought the UN inspectors should have more time. So did Pakistan, another waverer.

The three sponsor states have also agreed to demands from states including Chile that the resolution should include a clear "checklist" for disarmament, defining the weapons of mass destruction yet to be accounted for.

Mr Blair would "strain every muscle" to get a second resolution and had spent much of the weekend talking to fellow world leaders, including Jiang Zemin, China's President, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said.

Baroness Amos, a Foreign Office minister, will fly this week to Angola, Guinea and Cameroon for another last-ditch attempt to win their support. Her trip will come almost immediately after an identical tour by Dominique de Villepin, the French Foreign Minister.

Ms Rice dismissed a proposal by President Jacques Chirac for the Council to hold its crucial session with heads of government. She said such "grandstanding" would serve no useful purpose. All that was needed was a simple "yes" or "no" vote on the resolution. But General Powell said he would "not be surprised" if France used its veto, even if the US and Britain did cobble together a majority.

Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, will make a statement in the Commons today on the importance of setting President Saddam a deadline.

In Iraq, UN weapons inspectors continued with their mission yesterday. Embassy staff had made contingency plans to evacuate but none planned to leave the country immediately, they said.

Western military sources said yesterday that American and British forces would not be at "optimum readiness" until the end of this week.