THE US yesterday demanded an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss a letter in which Sudan’s government said it would view any troop commitments to a future UN peacekeeping force in Darfur as a “hostile act” and a “prelude to an invasion”, a US official said.

The United States today demanded an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss a letter in which Sudan’s government said it would view any troop commitments to a future UN peacekeeping force in Darfur as a “hostile act” and a “prelude to an invasion,” a US official said.

The US government has expelled two Iranian security guards at Iran’s UN Mission for activities “incompatible with their duties,” a US official said today, using the diplomatic language for spying.

The United Nations Security Council is holding private meetings today on the Iraq resolution introduced by the United States and Britain.

The United States is facing growing world opposition to its request for a new exemption for American peacekeepers from international prosecution for war crimes.

MEMBERS of the new Iraqi Governing Council addressed the United Nations Security Council yesterday.

France, Russia and Germany will vote today in favour of a UN resolution lifting sanctions on Iraq and letting Britain and America run the country until a recognised government takes over, the French foreign minister has said.

Britain and the United States are to introduce a new UN resolution that paves the way for military action against Iraq, while still giving Saddam Hussein a final few weeks to co-operate fully with the arms inspectors.

THE United States urged speedy approval of its proposed resolution on disarming Iraq, as all 15 members of the UN Security Council prepared to review the document, paragraph by paragraph, yesterday.

US president George Bush, armed with congressional authority to oust Saddam Hussein, is reviewing post-war plans for Iraq that could include deploying American troops to stabilise the nation until a new government is formed.