U.S. Signs Up Romania for Its Use-of-Force Resolution : Diplomacy: Baker now has 7 ‘yes’ votes on gulf plan at the U.N. He lobbies hard for Moscow’s support.

The United States on Sunday enlisted at least one more small nation in its drive for a resolution from the U.N. Security Council sanctioning the use of force in the Persian Gulf crisis.

But the position of the Soviet Union, key to the progress on the Persian Gulf measure, was withheld until President Bush and Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev can meet.

Both leaders are here for the 34-nation Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. Their first face-to-face meeting--originally scheduled for Tuesday--has been moved forward to tonight.

Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard A. Shevardnadze indicated that Moscow is not yet prepared to support a resolution that would allow military action against Iraq, but he and Secretary of State James A. Baker III seemed to hint broadly that they were deferring the decision to their chiefs as a matter of courtesy.

Both of the diplomats emerged smiling from a two-hour meeting that ran into this morning to make cautious but essentially positive statements on the Persian Gulf crisis.

“I can’t say we reached any final decision,” Shevardnadze said. “We are engaged in very important and very necessary consultations, and (today) they will continue at the presidential level.”

Baker, who apparently wanted to emerge from the session with a more upbeat message, said that Bush and Gorbachev will “consider the next step” today.

“We recognize the importance of maintaining a common approach to the problem,” he told reporters. “We’re working on that, and you will be more fully informed (today). Stay tuned.”

Earlier in the day, Baker won support of Romania for a resolution that would permit the use of force if necessary to dislodge Iraq’s Saddam Hussein from Kuwait.

Romania became the seventh sure vote in the 15-member Security Council for such a measure, which the United States wants to bring up this month while it retains the presidency of the council.

For adoption, the resolution needs nine “yes” votes, with none of the five permanent council members casting a veto.

On Saturday, Baker got the support of at least two African states, Ethiopia and Zaire, to go with the votes of Canada, France, Britain and the United States. U.S. officials believe that Ivory Coast will also vote for the resolution.

Finland, whose foreign minister also met Baker on Sunday, withheld its position until all five permanent Security Council members--China, Britain, France, the United States and the Soviet Union--have revealed their stands. Colombia, which Baker will visit next week, is also considered likely to support the resolution.

After talking to Baker, British Foreign Minister Douglas Hurd appeared most supportive of the U.S. move to seek permission to use force in the gulf.

A military operation would be very important in persuading Hussein to get out of Kuwait, Hurd said, and the “disposition” of the members of the 25-nation anti-Iraq coalition is “quite strongly in favor of” such a move.

“The Soviets are being quite reasonable,” Hurd added, “although they have not made a commitment on the matter.

“Overall prospects are quite reasonable,” he also said, “and if we can bring this off, we will be laying a very strong political foundation for military action in case the military option is needed.”

Hurd and Baker were contemptuous of Iraq’s offer to release Western hostages over a three-month period beginning at Christmas.

They “should never have been taken in the first place,” said a visibly angry Baker. “He has it in his power to release them immediately. This is just further cynical manipulation of innocent people’s lives.”