The United States appeared further isolated on Monday in its attitude toward Baghdad, with most of the world saying U.N. arms inspectors needed more time to search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Even Foreign Secretary Jack Straw of staunch U.S. ally Britain, while condemning Iraq's attitude to the inspectors as "a charade," said the continuation of the searches was up to the U.N. Security Council -- not any one state.

Following reports from the U.N. arms chiefs to the Security Council on their first two months of operation, the United States said Baghdad was not cooperating with the inspectors or complying with U.N. resolutions to give up weapons of mass destruction Washington says it possesses.

Germany, France, Russia and Canada said the arms experts needed more time, as did Secretary-General Amr Moussa of the 22-member Arab League and states neighboring Iraq.

U.S. HAS THREATENED WAR

The United States has threatened a unilateral attack on Iraq if Baghdad does not give up biological, chemical and nuclear weaponry, which Iraq says it does not have.

Baghdad said it had complied with U.N. demands.

Secretary of State Colin Powell did not mince his words: "Iraq's time for choosing peaceful disarmament is fast coming to an end."

He gave no hint on when a decision to go to war might come. He said Washington would consult its allies over the next week and after that, it would decide what to do.

Britain has already sent troops to the Gulf to join U.S. forces there, diverging from European partners Germany and France and other international heavyweights such as Russia and China.

ARAB LEAGUE SAYS INSPECTORS SHOULD BE GIVEN ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD THEY NEED

The Arab League's Amr Moussa said in an interview with Reuters in Berlin that the arms inspectors should get as much time as they needed, three months or more if necessary, to check for banned weaponry.

"There should be no outer limit for peace. War is a very serious and dangerous proposition, you have to avoid it by all means up until it is the only necessity and one the whole world community decides.

"So if they need more time, they should be given more time. Why should we be in a hurry to wage war?" he asked on the eve of talks with the German foreign minister.

INDIA & TURKEY RECOMMEND WAR BE AVERTED

Prime Minister Abdullah Gul of Turkey, a close NATO ally of the United States and a key to any war with Iraq, said conflict with Baghdad could spell economic and human disaster and called for increased efforts to avert it.

In New Delhi, Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi urged Baghdad to cooperate fully with the weapons inspectors, but said all countries bordering Iraq opposed a U.S.-led invasion

PHOTO CAPTION

Chief United Nations weapons inspector Hans Blix (L) puts his hand on the arm of U.S. ambassador to the U.N. John Negroponte as he speaks with Kuwaiti ambassador Mohammad Abulhassan before delivering his report on Iraqi weapons to the United Nations Security Council January 27, 2003. (Jim Bourg/Re