The United States hope to get consensus on modifying UN sanctions on Iraq by next month when leaders of the Arab world meet in Jordan.
A senior US official accompanying Secretary of State Colin Powell on a series of meetings with Middle-Eastern leaders, said the US would act on deep concerns expressed by Arab leaders, including Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
"We would like to see progress on the policy before the Arab [League] summit on March 27," the official said.
In response to those concerns, Mr Powell had been exploring modification of the sanctions with those leaders and had been convinced of the wisdom of easing or removing entirely restrictions on civilian goods while tightening them on military items, the official said.
"We have been quite pleased with the reaction," the official said.
He noted a need "to make a better case" for the sanctions which have been strongly criticised by Arab leaders for hurting the Iraqi people despite the US insistence that responsibility lies solely Mr Saddam Hussein.
"We think that there is a clear understanding on the directions we are taking," the official said. "We believe there is substantial support for what we're doing."
"We obviously have more to do before we get to the point of execution of new policy, but this trip has built our confidence in these efforts," the official said.
The US official accompany the Secretary of State said Powell would return to Washington after meeting talks with NATO and European allies in Brussels on Tuesday and recommend the changes to the sanctions on Iraq to President George W. Bush.
Then, Washington would consult with allies in the region who backed the Gulf War as well as those oppposed to the sanctions and the UN Security Council, so that a consensus on formal changes to the sanctions could be reached, the official said.
AFP