Facing strong opposition to war in Iraq, Secretary of State Colin Powell warned U.N. Security Council members on Monday not to shirk what he called their responsibilities next week when they meet on the crisis. The council meeting focused mainly on ways the international community as well as individual nations could strengthen the fight against terrorism.

France among a dozen foreign ministers who came to New York to adopt a declaration on ways to combat global terrorism at a high-level Security Council session initiated Powell.

The Iraq crisis quickly crept into the public meeting and dominated private sessions, with France and Germany speaking openly against an attack, at least in the near future.

"We must not shrink from our duties and our responsibilities when the material comes before us next week," Powell said, departing from his prepared speech on terrorism and repeating the tough warning several times.

"We cannot be shocked into impotence because we are afraid of the difficult choices that are ahead of us," he said. Powell was referring to a Jan. 29 Security Council meeting to evaluate a Jan. 27 major report by U.N. arms inspectors.

But French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin hinted at a veto of a possible Security Council resolution authorizing war should such a measure come to a vote, especially if the Bush administration intervened unilaterally in Iraq.

"In the event of a second resolution ... we will not associate ourselves with military intervention that is not supported by the international community," de Villepin said.

"Using force would only be an ultimate resort, assuming that every other possibility has been exhausted," he told a news conference. "We believe that today, nothing justifies envisaging military action."

GERMANY SAYS 'NO'

In a preview of next week's meetings, German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer gave a solid "no" to military action in his first statement to the council since Berlin joined the 15-member body in January.

"We are greatly concerned that a military strike against the regime in Baghdad would involve considerable and unpredictable risks for the global fight against terrorism," he said." These are fundamental reasons for our rejection of military action."

China's foreign minister, Tang Jiaxuan, argued for giving U.N. weapons inspectors more time to search for alleged Iraqi weapons of mass destruction after Jan. 27.

"I believe this report actually is not a full stop of the inspection work but rather a new beginning," Tang said. But Powell shot back, saying Jan. 27 was "not the beginning."

China and France are permanent council members along with the United States, Britain and Russia.

Spain, however, complimented Powell on his address, with Foreign Minister Ana Palacio, the only woman at the event, telling Reuters, "I fully agree with him" because the future of the United Nations was at stake.

Diplomats said most council members considered a reported U.S. timetable to attack Iraq next month while the weather was favorable to American soldiers an artificial deadline.

But British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said that "time was running out" for President Saddam Hussein and his "cat-and-mouse" game. Straw said Britain, Washington's closest ally, preferred a U.N. resolution authorizing force but that Iraq needed to comply with its obligations.

Under Security Council Resolution 1441, adopted on Nov. 8, false statements or omissions in a weapons declaration Iraq submitted last month coupled with a failure to cooperate with inspections, would constitute a further "material breach."

The council would then have to assess the "material breach" -- code words for war -- and can, but is not compelled to authorize military action under the Nov. 8 resolution.

SUCCESS IN TERROR FIGHT REMAINS 'ELUSIVE'

The council meeting focused mainly on ways the international community as well as individual nations could strengthen the fight against terrorism.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, calling for sustained action against terrorists, said, "The tragic loss of life in terrorist attacks, such as those in Moscow, Bali and Mombasa, is a dramatic reminder that success in countering this threat remains elusive."

But he said, "The danger is that in pursuit of security, we end up sacrificing crucial liberties, thereby weakening our common security, not strengthening it -- and thereby corroding the vessel of democratic government from within."

The anti-terrorism declaration adopted by the ministers at the end of the meeting warned also that terrorists could obtain weapons of mass destruction.

The council, shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, formed a counter terrorism committee, headed by British Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock, that requires regular reports from all U.N. members on what they are doing to combat terrorism and gives advice, such as how to bolster border guards or monitor the movement of illicit funds.

Greenstock warned 13 countries that had not submitted their report to do so by March 31 or face unspecified consequences.
Other foreign ministers at the meeting were Igor Ivanov of Russia, Francois Louceny Fall of Guinea, Francois Xavier Ngoubeyou of Cameroon, Solomon Passy of Bulgaria, Joao Bernardo de Miranda of Angola and Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri of Pakistan.

PHOTO CAPTION

United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan speaks at a meeting on counter terrorism in the Security Council at the United Nations in New York on January 20, 2003. Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan (L) and French Foreign Minister Dominique Galouzeau de Villepin listen on. (Mike Segar/Reuters)