The British Prime Minister Tony Blair has today insisted that war with Iraq is not inevitable and could still be avoided.
He said the UN weapons inspectors should have "whatever time they need" to complete their audit of Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction. But at the same time Mr Blair warned the process should take weeks rather than months.
Mr Blair was speaking the day before UN chief weapons inspector Mr Hans Blix was due to deliver a key report to the UN Security Council on the findings of his weapons inspectors.
The Washington Postreported today that Mr Blix would tell the Security Council that his meetings last week in Baghdad "gave no signs of major movement" toward full disclosure by Iraq about harboring weapons of mass destruction.
Recent bellicose comments from leading members of US President George W. Bush's administration, who have been ratcheting up the pressure on Baghdad, have prompted speculation that Washington would use the report as an excuse to try to oust Iraqi President Saddam Hussein at the earliest opportunity.
But with Mr Blair set to fly to the US next week for talks with Bush at Camp David, it appeared Washington's staunch ally was in less of a hurry to act.
Defence Secretary Mr Geoff Hoon and Foreign Secretary Mr Jack Straw have both said in recent days that the inspections would continue after Mr Blix has delivered what he himself has said will be no more than a progress report.
While few doubt that London will ultimately march to Washington's tune, Mr Blair and his cabinet are aware that they have still to convince large numbers of their own Labour party members, not to mention an increasingly sceptical British public, of the justification of going to war.
According to one recent opinion poll support for war among the British public has fallen to its lowest level yet with just 30 per cent in favour of military action.
And a mere 10 per cent endorse action without a prior UN resolution. But despite its domestic difficulties, Britain recently gave a clear signal of its solidarity with Washington when it ordered the deployment of 26,000 troops - nearly a quarter of its armed forces - to the Gulf region.
AFP