Kerry won't elaborate on missed deal

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Senator John F. Kerry declined to provide specifics yesterday about his televised comment Monday night that French and Russian officials at the United Nations were poised to compromise with the Bush administration on the eve of the Iraq war.

In a brief interview in Manchester yesterday, Kerry said that he believed his information was solid and that he intends to focus on the issue in the coming weeks as he continues to critique President Bush's foreign policy and attempts to distinguish himself from the eight other Democrats running for the White House.

"I have it on the highest authority" that the French and Russians were prepared to make an offer at the UN, but were rebuffed by American officials intent on going to war, Kerry said. "I'm going to talk about it more publicly at a later time."

He would not disclose details of the position the countries, which opposed the US-led military offensive, were prepared to take or identify the source of the information.

For weeks, Kerry has been seeking to clarify his position on the war in Iraq, which he voted to support in the Senate but which he has criticized since the spring as poorly planned.

He has tried to focus attention on the UN's role in the conflict.

Kerry has said he would have preferred that the United States pursue more diplomacy before the war and seek a UN vote supporting the use of force against

President Saddam Hussein of Iraq.

Patrick Healy can be reached at phealy@globe.com.