Washington ? Bowing to pressure from France and Russia, the United States has offered a compromise proposal at the United Nations that would call for serious “consequences” if Iraq does not comply with tough weapons inspections but would not seek authorization for military action without further discussions at the world body.

The compromise, outlined Wednesday by Secretary of State Colin Powell in talks with his French and Russian counterparts, calls for a Security Council resolution that will send U.N. weapons inspectors back to Iraq with sweeping orders to track any nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and long-range missiles.

If the Security Council can’t agree on a course of action, then the United States has the prerogative to form its own coalition to forcibly disarm Iraq, sources said late Wednesday.