It is "plain" that Saddam Hussein remains in material breach of the demands made on him by the United Nations, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said today.
Speaking at his monthly press conference, Mr Blair added that the credibility of the UN would be at stake if it failed to enforce the requirement on Iraq to disarm.
But he insisted there was "no rush to war" and repeated that weapons inspectors would be given at least until February 28th to hunt down and eliminate any weapons of mass destruction held by Saddam.
Despite his recent comments on the "moral case for removing Saddam", Mr Blair stressed that "regime change" was not British government policy, and that the argument for removing Saddam rested on the dangers of his weapons arsenals.
He called on anti-war protesters to listen to the testimony of Iraqi exiles about the horror of Saddam's regime and their wish for him to be removed from power.
Mr Blair said: "It is plain in our judgment that Saddam continues to be in breach. Not a single country who spoke last night at the European summit disputed that his co-operation is neither unconditional nor complete. There is no rush to war.
"We waited 12 years and then went through the United Nations. It is now three months since we gave Saddam what we called a 'final opportunity'," Mr Blair said.
"There is a further report on February 28th but the truth is that without full co-operation by Saddam, the inspectors are never going to be able to search out the weapons.
"The stance the world takes now against Saddam is not just vital in its own right, it is a huge test of our seriousness in dealing with the twin threats of weapons of mass destruction and terrorism."
Mr Blair said that those who took part in Saturday's march should bear in mind the suffering of the Iraqi people under Saddam.
"Of course I understand the concerns of the thousands who marched on Saturday," he said. "Of course, I should and do listen to those concerns.
"They have a rightful hatred of the consequences of war. I simply ask them however also to listen to the voices of some of the four million Iraqi exiles.
"The reason for doing so is not because the nature of the regime can in itself provide justification for war, but it can at least show that if we do have to take military action, we do so in the sure knowledge that we are removing one of the most barbarous and detestable regimes in modern political history," the prime minister said.
PA