Draft open to minor changes, says US

THE United States said yesterday it was open to changes in its Iraq resolution for tough new weapons inspections, but Russia and France are concerned it may allow the US to launch a go-it-alone war against Saddam Hussein.

The latest American text, a product of eight weeks of intense lobbying by the Bush administration, signalled significant progress and included major concessions to Security Council members concerned about setting off

another war in Iraq.