The 15-member United Nations Security Council is still far from reaching an agreement on the candidate for the Chairman of the United Nations Monitoring, verification and Inspection Commission(UNMOVIC), UN diplomats said in New York on January 12.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Tuesday held consultations with the Security Council on the candidate and no agreement reached, the diplomats said.

The Secretary-General has a list of candidates for the post but none can be approved by the full members of the Council, said the diplomats.

It is reported that Russia is against any candidate from a NATO country, thus excluding disarmament experts of mark Moher of Canada and Istvan Gyarmati of Hungary, who are on the UN chief's list.

France is said to favor Celso Amorim, Brazil's former UN Ambassador, now at the United Nations in Geneva, who was opposed by the United States and Britain.

China is reported to prefer a candidate from the developing countries.

The United Nations Security Council last month narrowly adopted a resolution which created UNMOVIC to replace the United Nations Special Commission (USOM) in charge of dismantling Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. USOM withdrew from Iraq days before the US-led military strikes against Iraq in December 1998. Iraq has barred it from returning.

According to the resolution, the Secretary-General is requested to appoint the chairman of UNMOVIC within 30 days after the adoption of the resolution, with the approval of the Security Council.

Annan, after meeting with the Security council, said Tuesday that he would announce the candidate soon.