United Nations chief weapons inspector Mr Hans Blix said last night he would bring a report to the Security Council next week detailing the remaining steps Iraq must take to disarm.
He told reporters that council members were eager to know what banned weapons Iraq still had and was obliged to decommission.
His comments come as a planned vote on a second resolution proposed by Britain and the United States was postponed from today until later this week after France and Russia declared that they would oppose it.
The United States is understood to be still trying to secure a nine-vote majority for the vote.
British diplomats are looking at fresh proposals in an attempt to win wider support for the draft resolution, including setting Iraq a deadline of next Monday to disarm.
Britain is also suggesting tests that Baghdad should fulfill within a set time limit to prove that it is co-operating with UN weapons inspectors.
British Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair said he had spoken to Mr Blix and other members of the UN security council in a bid to define tests that would prove whether Saddam was in compliance with resolution 1441.
Speaking on ITV's Tonight with Trevor McDonaldhe said: "We have not given him [Saddam] 10 days to disarm, we have given him 10 days to show he intends fully to co-operate with the inspectors".
The Security Council met late last night to discuss the resolution, tabled last Friday, which states that Iraq will have missed a final opportunity to disarm unless it shows full and immediate co-operation with its disarmament obligations by March 17th.
Three of the six undecided countries on the council yesterday suggested amendments to the resolution extending the time frame, but the United States and Britain made clear that the March 17th date was not likely to change.