Britain and US threaten to punish Iraq

The United States and Britain are calling on the United Nations Security Council to approve "tough steps" against Iraq in retaliation for its lack of compliance with UN resolutions, American officials said yesterday.

John Dinger, a State Department spokesman, said a draft resolution being circulated by US and British officials at the United Nations contains specific ideas to punish Iraq but he refused to elaborate. At issue is Iraq's refusal to comply with resolutions for it to eliminate weapons of mass destruction. AP - Washington