UNITED NATIONS, June 7 (Xinhuanet) -- The United States agreed on Monday to make new changes to the US-British draft resolution on Iraq, specifying somewhat the relationship between the Iraqi government and the US-led multinational force.

    The amendment, obtained by Xinhua, says the Iraqi government "has authority to commit Iraqi security forces to the multinational force to engage in operations with it."

    It also includes some language from the two letters sent to the United Nations Security Council by US Secretary of State Colin Powell and Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi.

    The new text says the multinational force and the Iraqi government would use various coordination bodies to "reach agreement on the full range of fundamental security and policy issues, including policy on sensitive offensive operations."

    The latest change was offered by the US at a closed-door council consultation late on Monday.

    Emerging from the meeting, a council diplomat, who asked not tobe named, described the change as "substantive" and he expected a unanimous vote for the new draft on Tuesday.

    He said the US side remained resistant to France's proposal giving the Iraqi government a say on the multinational force's major military operations.

    US Ambassador to the UN John Negroponte told reporters that thenew draft, the second in one day, would be put "in blue" Monday night, a UN parlance which means it would be ready for a vote.

    Describing the new text "much better" than the previous one, French Ambassador Jean-Marc de La Sabliere said that "things are going in the right direction ... and it's almost finished."

    His statement is a positive signal for Washington, which has amended the draft resolution four times in order to get unanimous support at the council. Enditem