Since the Bush administration began beating the drums of war against Iraq this past summer, the United Nations has been placed at the center of debate on the question of renewed weapons inspections and the legitimacy of any future U.S. attack. France, Russia and China -- three of the five permanent members of the Security Council, each with veto power -- have objected to the White House demand for a single resolution mandating a tough new round of weapons inspections, which if impeded by Baghdad, would automatically authorize a U.S. invasion. Instead, France, Russia and China have advocated a set of two resolutions: one laying out conditions for weapons inspections and a second resolution, when and if Saddam Hussein's government fails to comply.

But over the past seven weeks, Secretary of State Colin Powell has worked behind the scenes applying heavy pressure to U.S. allies on the Security Council to accede to Washington's plan. As a result, a compromise resolution may soon be approved by the Council that could adopt ambiguous language that would satisfy both President Bush's pursuit of war making authority and those that oppose it.

Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Phyllis Bennis, a fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, who examines the high stakes negotiations at the U.N. and continuing international opposition to a U.S.-led war against Iraq.

Contact the Institute for Policy Studies by calling (202) 234-9382 or visit their Web site at www.ips-dc.org.

When Maher Arar, a man holding joint Canadian-Syrian citizenship changed planes at New York's Kennedy airport on Sept. 26, the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service detained and eventually deported him to Syria. The action by the U.S. State Department prompted the Canadian government to protest and issue an unprecedented travel advisory, warning their citizens who were born in several Middle East and South Asian countries targeted by the U.S. for anti-terror scrutiny, to avoid traveling to America.

A Canadian foreign affairs department official, Reynald Doiron, charged that the U.S. policy is discriminatory because it targets citizens based on where they were born. Canada believes that their citizens should be exempt from new measures established by Washington one year after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The U.S. National Security Entry Exit Registration System authorizes the INS to photograph, fingerprint, and closely monitor visitors to America who were born in Syria, Iran, Iraq, Libya and Sudan.

Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with attorney Michael Ratner, president of the Center for Constitutional Rights about these new U.S. travel regulations and the balance between legitimate security concerns and the rights of foreign nationals who visit America.

Contact the Center for Constitutional Rights at (212) 614-6464 or visit the group's website at www.ccr-ny.org