Chancellor Gerhard Schröder has joined his French ally in calling for an emergency summit of U.N. Security Council members to search for a compromise that could stop a U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

Schröder's spokesman, Bela Anda, said on Sunday that Schröder expressed his endorsement of the idea during a weekend telephone call with French President Jacques Chirac.

While European opponents of the United States solidified their ranks over the weekend, British Prime Minister Tony Blair watched his support at home crack.

His international development secretary, Clare Short, described Blair (photo) as "reckless" on Sunday and said she would resign if there was no second U.N. resolution for an invasion. "I will not uphold a breach of international law or this undermining of the U.N., and I will resign from the government," Short said.

Her threat came as one junior government member resigned from his post amid speculation that four others could follow as Blair's Labour Party faced its biggest internal rift since it came to power in 1997. More than 120 Labour parliamentarians recently voted against the government over war against Iraq, and more are expected to join the revolt if there is no support from the United Nations.

French leading resistance

Schröder's endorsement came in response to a proposal first raised on Friday by French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin after the Security Council heard the latest report from U.N. inspectors about their hunt for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The chief U.N. weapons inspector, Hans Blix, gave the council a mixed report. He said Iraq's move to begin destroying its al Samoud 2 missiles constituted "a substantial measure of disarmament" but criticized the rate at which Iraq had handed over documents on prohibited chemical and biological systems.

Dissatisfied with the findings, the United States and Britain then circulated a draft U.N. Security Council resolution that would give Iraq until March 17 to disarm or face the use of force. A vote on the resolution is expected this week, possibly on Tuesday.

Continuing its strong opposition, France told the council that it would not accept the compliance deadline. "We cannot accept an ultimatum as long as the inspectors are reporting cooperation," de Villepin said. He also unveiled the plan to call a summit of council members at which leaders of the 15-nation body could work through the tense issue.

"War is not a small thing," Chirac's office said on Saturday in explaining the president's rationale for the summit. "When you declare death or life, this merits being taken to the highest level of responsibility, (where leaders could) think through crisis management."

Powell rejects summit idea

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell dismissed the French idea, saying he saw no need for such a summit when key powers have been expressing their views "openly and candidly."

Powell and U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice continued to press the case of President George W. Bush in television interviews on Sunday. Both made clear that Bush was ready to move toward war -- with or without U.N. backing.

Administration officials have said the vote could come as early as Tuesday. If the resolution does not get the nine of 15 council votes needed to pass, or is vetoed by any of the three permanent members that oppose it, the deadline will be moot and the invasion theoretically could start earlier.

"If the votes are not there," Rice said, Bush "is prepared to act." Even without the new resolution, she said, "there is plenty of authority" under U.N. measures dating to 1990.