New York - Britain, Spain and the United States on Monday withdraw a draft resolution seeking United Nations Security Council authority for military action to disarm Iraq.

The British ambassador to the United Nations, Jeremy Greenstock, told reporters that the sponsors had concluded that "council consensus will not be possible".

Greenstock and his US counterpart, John Negroponte, clearly threw the blame on France. Without mentioning it by name, they both referred to "the explicit threat" by one council member to veto the draft.

The announcement was made just before the council went into consultations behind closed doors for what US President George Bush said was its "moment of truth" on Iraq.
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