Iraq war not inevitable says Britain

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said yesterday war against Iraq was not a foregone conclusion and less likely than many commentators think.

Media reports recently quoted an unidentified British minister as saying the odds on a war in the Gulf were 60:40 against.

"That's a reasonably accurate description, but the situation changes from day to day," Straw told BBC Radio. "What is important for people to understand is that war is not inevitable."

Straw insisted nothing had changed to shift the chances of a military campaign against Baghdad.

He has repeatedly said war is not inevitable and that Britain's preference is for a peaceful solution to disarming President Saddam Hussein of his weapons of mass destruction.

"There has been so much talk in the newspapers about war, suggestions that the chance of war are 100 per cent, that it's important to try and correct that impression," Straw said.

The foreign minister said Britain's would prefer to see a second UN resolution passed before any onslaught on Iraq, but the ball was in Saddam's court.

"It is his decision which will ultimately affect whether military action is necessary or not," Straw said.

"It is my fervent hope and it's the fervent hope of every single member of the United Nations Security Council that we are able to do this peacefully."

UN arms inspectors are in Iraq checking for evidence of the manufacture or stockpiling of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons, backed by a tough UN resolution insisting on complete compliance and threatening action.

Saddam accused the inspectors on Monday of carrying out "pure intelligence work" and said Iraq was prepared for possible US attack.

The inspectors will report back to the United Nations on January 27, but Straw said that was not a final deadline and inspectors could still have more work to do.

Straw was due to address an unprecedented gathering of British ambassadors and senior diplomats in London early today (NZ time), telling them that the key thrust of foreign policy over the next decade will be to curtail the production of and prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Washington has been pouring troops and armour into the Gulf area and Britain has promised its full support if it comes to military action.

- REUTERS

Herald feature: Iraq