The three allies demand a timetable for Iraqi control

But continuing concerns about the text mean they will not contribute troops or funds to the reconstruction effort.

"We agreed that the resolution is really an important step in the right direction," German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said after talks on Thursday.

But he added that he did not think that the resolution was adequate for the situation in Iraq and that was why no additional military or material help would be offered.

The three have been pushing Washington for concessions on the text which is aimed at winning broad international backing for the reconstruction of Iraq.

Paris and Moscow have the power to veto the resolution, which needs the backing of nine of the Security Council's 15 members to pass and no veto.

Timetable demand

The vote was delayed from Wednesday after Russia insisted on the last-minute discussions with its allies.

The three countries had demanded a timetable for elections for an Iraqi government.

And they raised concerns about the role the United Nations would play in the political settlement in Iraq, as well as about the mandate of a future international peacekeeping force.

We would have preferred in particular that this text set more binding and shorter deadlines French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin Text: Draft resolution

Washington has made significant amendments to the text, although the timetable demand has not been met.

After holding a three-way telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Jacques Chirac to work out a common position on this issue, Mr Schroeder said it was important that "as far as possible" unity in the Security Council should be maintained.

He said many of the three countries' concerns had been taken on board and also noted that the UN Secretary General had spoken "relatively positively" about the new text.

Shortly after the German statement, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said the US resolution fell short of French wishes.

"We would have preferred in particular that this text set more binding and shorter deadlines for the transfer of responsibilities and the political transition," Mr de Villepin said on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels.

But he said the United Nations had to close ranks in the face of "the spiral of violence and terrorism in Iraq".

International signal

China - another veto-wielding member of the council - had also been unenthusiastic about the US resolution, which is being proposed with the support of the UK and Spain.

PERMANENT MEMBERS China France Russia United Kingdom United States Quick guide - Security Council

But Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said on Thursday that the amendments made the text more acceptable.

"Thursday's revisions to the UN draft resolution on Iraq will promote the resumption of sovereignty, the political process and economic reconstruction if passed by the UN Security Council," he was quoted as saying by state Xinhua news agency.

None of the Security Council's permanent members had been expected to veto the resolution.