A senior American Republican is claiming that agreement had been reached between France and the US over the text of a resolution on Iraq to be put before the UN Security Council.
France has led opposition in the Security Council to a resolution authorising the automatic use of military force to eliminate Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction if he fails to co-operate with UN inspectors.
While the Chinese and the Russians have also opposed the US's position, the move breaks weeks of stalemate. The US expects to table the compromise resolution today, with a vote on the new wording before the end of the week.
Following conversations with Secretary of State Mr Colin Powell, the Republican chairman of the Foreign Appropriations Committee in the House of Representatives, Mr Jim Colby of Arizona, said he understood a breakthrough had been made.
He told BBC Radio 4's Todayprogramme: "We have reached agreement with the French.
"I don't know the details of the resolution. I know it is not everything we had wanted, but it is at least good enough to give us what we believe is the necessary authority to go ahead and enforce previous resolutions of the UN."