By Judy Aita
Washington File United Nations Correspondent

United Nations -- With the arrival of its new permanent representative to the United Nations, the United States September 20 has stepped up its efforts to build an international coalition against terrorism at the world organization.

One day after he presented his credentials, U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte met with the president of the Security Council, Ambassador Jean-David Levitte of France, to discuss possible responses to the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.

Speaking with journalists outside the Security Council chambers, Negroponte said that the United States is in "a period of intense diplomatic consultations both in Washington, around the world, on a multilateral and regional and a bilateral basis."

Asked if the United States wants the council to authorize military force to deal with the terrorists, the ambassador said "we're not ruling out any options at this point."

On September 12, the council adopted a resolution that unequivocally condemned the horrifying attacks. In the resolution, the council called on all states "to work together urgently to bring to justice the perpetrators, organizers and sponsors of these terrorist attacks" and stressed that "those responsible for aiding, supporting or harboring the perpetrators, organizers and sponsors of these acts will be held accountable." But the resolution did not specifically authorize the use of force.

Diplomats say that the United States does not need Security Council authorization to use force against the terrorists because the U.N. Charter allows U.N. member states to take whatever measures necessary in exercise of its right of self-defense. After Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, the Security Council did specifically authorize member states to form a coalition to free Kuwait.

Negroponte said that Secretary General Kofi Annan is extremely concerned about the terrorist attacks. "He believes that the United Nations has a very important role to play and we certainly welcome his enthusiastic support for the effort to build this international coalition against terrorism," he said.