The United States delayed until Friday its push to get the UN Security Council to put military-ruled Myanmar on its agenda for the first time, because of questions raised by China, Russia, Japan and other members.

The U.S. ambassador, John Bolton, told reporters after a closed-door discussion that he agreed to the delay because Washington believes there is a possibility of getting consensus among the 15 Council members on the U.S. request for a briefing on the situation in Myanmar.

When the United States last attempted to get the Council to discuss Myanmar in June, it failed to get support from at least nine of the 15 members to put the issue on the agenda.

Russia and China were among the key opponents, and they raised questions again when Bolton brought up the issue on Wednesday, as did Japan, Brazil and others, Council diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the meeting was closed.

“We’re confident that we’re going to get it approved,” Bolton said, stressing that Washington sent a letter seeking to hold a briefing by a senior UN official only after consulting the 14 other members.

“In the interest of obtaining consensus, I said we would put off a decision until Friday, where we will either achieve consensus on having the briefing, in which case it will go ahead, or I will call for a vote,” Bolton said.

In a letter Tuesday to the Council president, Bolton asked for a briefing to address “the deteriorating situation in Burma,” as the country is also known. Bolton said he has asked Secretary General Kofi Annan to do the briefing.

The letter was sent two days after the military government extended the house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi, which began in May 2003. The Nobel Peace Prize winner has spent 10 of the last 16 years in detention.

It also follows last week’s approval by a key General Assembly committee of a resolution condemning human rights violations in Myanmar.

The Security Council deals with threats to international peace and security. Bolton said Myanmar warrants Council action because of the potential destabilization from its international narcotics trafficking, human rights practices, and internal repression that has led many of its people to flee the country.

Andrey Denisov, Russia’s UN ambassador, called the situation in Myanmar “difficult,” but he said “we don’t see any threats to international peace and security,” a position that he said is shared by some other countries.

Bolton said China had some questions about a briefing on Myanmar and wanted to consult Beijing. Council diplomats said Japan, Brazil and others also questioned whether the situation in Myanmar constituted a threat to international peace.

In arguing for the Council to take action, Bolton’s letter also cited press reports that Burmese authorities are seeking nuclear power capabilities and accused the military regime of destroying villages, targeting ethnic minorities and forcing people to relocate.