US Secretary of State Colin Powell has said Iraq President Saddam Hussein should not be allowed to split the international community into 'arguing factions'.

"Iraq's 'too little too late' gestures are meant not just to deceive and delay action by the international community," Powell told a foreign policy group in Washington.

He said Saddam had let go of the 'one last chance' to avoid the 'serious consequences' the UN Security Council had threatened if Iraq failed to disarm.

The only real issue left was whether Saddam had decided to give up 'these horrible weapons of mass destruction', he said.

Powell's speech to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies was hastily arranged, as a diplomatic battle raged over a new US-Britain-Spain sponsored Security Council resolution on Iraq.

The speech also came two days ahead of UN chief weapons inspector Hans Blix's briefing to the world body on the latest developments on Iraqi disarmament.

Earlier, the foreign ministers of France, Germany and Russia joined forces in vowing to block the US-backed resolution. France and Russia have the veto power in the Security Council.

There are divisions among us," Powell said. "If these divisions continue, they will convince Saddam Hussein that he is right. But I assure you, he is wrong."