War drum beats louder as US dismisses Iraqi offer

US President George W Bush said yesterday "nothing's changed" regarding the US determination to topple Iraqi President Saddam Hussein following Baghdad's offer to hold talks with UN weapons inspectors.

"Nothing's changed," Bush said in response to a question about Iraq policy, hours after Baghdad said its invitation for talks with UN inspectors was genuine and accused Bush of fomenting an "evil plot" to overthrow Saddam.

"I'm a patient man. I'll use all of the tools at our disposal" to deal with the threat, Bush said, referring to US charges that Saddam is developing weapons of mass destruction.

Speaking moments earlier at a political fund-raiser in Prouts Neck, Maine, Bush said: "We owe it to the future of civilisation not to allow the world's worst leaders to develop and deploy and therefore blackmail the freedom-loving nations with the world's worst weapons ...

"I can assure you I understand history has called us into action and this country will defend freedom no matter what the cost."

Bush accuses Saddam of being a menace to the region and said this week he was "looking at all options, the use of all tools" to deal with the Iraqi leader.

Earlier yesterday, US National Security Council spokesman Sean McCormack said Washington's often-stated goal of ousting Saddam had not changed.

"He (Bush) has made no decision with respect to military action," McCormack said during a visit by Bush to his family's compound in Kennebunkport.

"He has a number of options at his disposal, including political, diplomatic and military means. He is patient and he will make a decision on a course of action in due time,"

US Undersecretary of State John Bolton told the BBC that Washington favored the reintroduction of arms inspectors to Iraq, but had not altered its ultimate goal of removing Saddam from power.

"That policy will not be altered whether the inspectors go in or not," Bolton said.

The US aim of toppling Saddam drew fresh warnings from Europe and the Middle East against a military assault on Iraq, with Germany, Saudi Arabia and Iran all voicing concern.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell said in Manila on an Asian tour he believed Saddam was trying to stall for time amid growing speculation about a military strike against him.

"Inspections are not the issue, disarmament is the issue and making certain that they have no weapons of mass destruction and they did what they were supposed to do but know we know they haven't," Powell told reporters.

Bush has branded Iraq as part of an "axis of evil" that aims to acquire and use weapons of mass destruction.

Under the terms of a UN agreement that Saddam signed in 1991, Iraq was to end its weapons programmes and destroy its weapons of mass destruction.

In a letter to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Thursday, Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri invited chief arms inspector Hans Blix to Baghdad for talks.

UN arms experts left Iraq in December 1998 on the eve of a US-British bombing campaign to punish Baghdad for not cooperating with the arms experts. Accounting for Iraq's weapons of mass destruction is a key to suspending UN sanctions, imposed when Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990.

Iraqi Vice-President Taha Yassin Ramadan told a Dubai-based satellite channel on Saturday that Baghdad's invitation for talks was genuine and accused Bush of fomenting "an evil plot" to topple Saddam.

"Iraq's invitation was genuine so as to open a dialogue, to know what he (Blix) wants. Where are the weapons of mass destruction?" Ramadan told the Saudi-owned Middle East Broadcasting Centre. "But if a dialogue, even at the technical level, is rejected, then how will it be possible to reach an agreement?"

McCormack said there is nothing to discuss. "Saddam Hussein should say he will open up his country to inspections anytime, anywhere, by anyone - completely unfettered. He has flouted the will of the international community as expressed in the 1991 cease-fire agreement for the past 10 years," he said.

In Moscow, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Saltanov told RIA news agency Iraq's offer was a step forward and urged the world community to take full advantage of it.

"According to our information, the Iraqi proposals are linked to no conditions, or at least conditions which could be unacceptable in term of a long-term settlement," said Saltanov. "Our position is that given that there has been a specific move forward, we should take full advantage of it."

Saudi Arabia, a key US ally, and Iran both expressed opposition to a possible attack on Iraq.

"We have a common position with Iran," Iranian state television quoted Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal on his arrival in Tehran on Saturday for a day of talks.

"We oppose any military attack against Islamic and regional countries and we are both opposed to any American military attack against Iraq," he was quoted as saying.

"If such dangerous phenomena (use of force) become an ordinary occurrence, then no government and nation will feel safe from powerful countries," Iranian President Mohammad Khatami said during his talks with Prince Saud.

The major military assaults to drive Iraqi forces from Kuwait in the 1991 Gulf war were launched from Saudi Arabia.

Germany also cautioned against an attack on Iraq. "I can only warn against talking about or considering war against Iraq without thinking of the consequences and without a political concept for the whole Middle East," Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder told a rally of Social Democrats in Hanover.

- REUTERS

Feature: Iraq

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Iraq Action Coalition (against Iraq sanctions

Arab net - Iraq resources

Iraq Oil-for-Food programme

Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq