Iraq campaigned for support among one of the world's largest political groupings Friday against invasion by the United States, but diplomats were unable to agree on a strongly worded declaration that characterized any attack as "aggression." The Non-Aligned Movement of 114 countries, most of them developing nations, was preparing for a summit next week amid confrontations between the United States and two member states, Iraq and North Korea .

The attempt to draft a tough statement acceptable to all members in support of Baghdad met with resistance from several U.S. allies.

Led by Singapore and Chile, a non-permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, countries leery of Arab-sponsored language in the draft declaration won a suspension of talks until Saturday.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri said his nation wanted the Non-Aligned Movement "to lead the rejection with the rest of the world against this aggression and the American colonialist plan that is challenging the whole world."

Iraq warned that the U.S. military would eventually threaten other countries unless they helped prevent a U.S.-led attack on Baghdad. Washington claims Iraq is developing weapons of mass destruction and needs to be forcibly disarmed if it fails to immediately comply with U.N. resolutions. Iraq denies having such weapons.

"The defense of Iraq is now the defense of the civilized world," Iraqi diplomat Akila al-Hashimi told a meeting of officials preparing for weekend meetings of foreign ministers, followed by a summit of national leaders Monday and Tuesday.

"If it is not stopped with Iraq, the American machine of war will continue rolling over Third World countries," al-Hashimi said.

But the suspended debate over the draft statement supporting Baghdad showed the divisions in the grouping.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar voiced confidence a consensus would be found: "Generally there is no objection to having a separate statement on Iraq."

Arab nations proposed a declaration far more supportive of Iraq than earlier drafts and referred twice to possible "aggression" against Baghdad. Language urging Iraq to meet U.N. demands and immediately give up weapons of mass destruction was substituted in the Arab proposal with wording to merely "encourage" Iraq to "continue its compliance."

Another paragraph called for a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction and singled out Israel as "the only party in the region in possession of weapons of mass destruction."

Senior officials also were drafting wording of an overall summit declaration addressing Korea, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and fears that terrorists could be regrouping on the Afghanistan -Pakistan border.

The United States is not a member of the Non-Aligned Movement, but Washington has sent an observer, retired veteran ambassador Charles Twining.

Other diplomats were urging North Korea to rescind its decision to quit the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. North Korea was proposing that the summit condemn the United States for tensions on the Korean Peninsula and demand that Washington sign a nonaggression treaty with Pyongyang.

PHOTO CAPTION

An Iraqi soldier walks in front of a portrait of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein  and smoke stacks of a power station in Al-Musayyib, 60 kilometers (37 miles) southeast of Baghdad while U.N. weapons inspectors, unseen, investigate inside Friday Feb. 21, 2003. (AP Photo/Ali Mohamme