U.S. President George W. Bush continues to push for a strong United Nations stand on Iraq, making a personal appeal to Mexican President Vicente Fox.
President Bush spoke with the Mexican leader by telephone early Monday.
White House Spokesman Ari Fleischer said Mr. Bush stressed the importance of a strong unified stand on Iraq, and the need for the U.N. Security Council to act in a meaningful way and speak with one voice.
Mexico currently holds a seat on the Security Council, and its vote could be crucial to U.S. efforts to win approval of a tough resolution that warns of consequences if Iraq fails to comply with demands to disarm.
President Bush last discussed the issue in person with President Fox on October 26 on the sidelines of the Asian Pacific summit in Mexico. Their bilateral meeting ended in disappointment for Mr. Bush, who tried and failed to win Mexican support for the draft resolution.
Meanwhile, there are signs Security Council negotiations on the resolution are making progress. When asked about the matter, the White House spokesman said discussions are at a productive level, and differences have been narrowed to a few issues.