Among the countries that have indicated they want to give the inspections more time are three veto-bearing permanent members of the council: France, Russia and China.

As a veto-bearing member of the Security Council, Russia could kill the American proposal.

The present makeup is 5 permanent veto-bearing members and 10 other countries, elected in annual blocks of 5, which serve two- year terms.

Paradoxically, Security Council reform is discussed mainly in terms of increasing the number of veto-bearing members!

As the veto-bearing permanent members of the Security Council, those five nations are crucial to the effort to forge an internationally accepted policy on Iraq.

China, another permanent, veto-bearing member of the Council, insisted on continuing to seek a diplomatic solution.

The other veto-bearing members - Britain, China, France and the United States - said the resolution was acceptable to them.

Only the Council can lift them, giving the veto-bearing members of the Council considerable leverage.

American diplomats, who have been pressing their case on all fronts, have made significant progress with Russia, a permanent, veto-bearing member of the Security Council.

Both Russia and France are veto-bearing members of the Security Council.