The Bush administration’s push to win quick approval of a U.N. Security Council resolution against Iraq has bogged down because of haggling within the administration and allies, including the British, over the language of the proposal, administration officials and diplomats said Wednesday.

Though President Bush has demanded quick action by the United Nations, the officials said the delay likely means that a draft resolution likely would not be formally introduced until next week. This will complicate efforts by the U.N.’s chief weapons inspector to hammer out arrangements on new inspections of Iraq’s weapons facilities when he meets with Iraqi officials Monday in Vienna.

Iraq’s offer last week to accept inspectors “without conditions,” just a few days after President Bush delivered a forcefully worded speech calling on the United Nations to confront Iraq, complicated the administration’s efforts to win backing for a toughly worded Security Council resolution.

The flare-up of violence in the Middle East also distracted administration officials on Monday and Tuesday, as the Security Council debated and approved another measure calling for an end to Israeli-Palestinian violence.

“The Americans have got a tremendous amount of work to do,” said one Security Council diplomat.

“There are divisions with the British over strategy, and there is a deep aversion to giving them a blank check for military action. But they don’t seem to care what the market can bear. They feel that they already have the authority to attack.”

Administration officials have largely resolved their own debate, deciding to go forward with a Security Council resolution that would be somewhat ambitious over whether a second resolution would be needed to authorize military action if Iraq does not grant inspectors open access and rid itself of weapons of mass destruction.

Some officials, especially in the Pentagon and the White House, had sought authorization for immediate military action if Iraq did not abide by the U.N.’s terms.

“This is very serious and very hard,” one administration official said, adding that the United States was trying for a single resolution that would suit everybody. “We want to make sure Iraq meets all of its obligations and still keep the council unified.”