President Clinton and the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, have said they are determined to use military force against Iraq if a diplomatic solution cannot be found to the present crisis over arms inspections.
Mr Clinton told a joint press conference: "On Iraq we stand together. Saddam Hussein must know that we are determined to prevent him from threatening his neighbours and the world with weapons of mass destruction."
He said he and Mr Blair would prefer a genuine diplomatic solution.
"The best way to stop Saddam from developing an arsenal of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and the missiles to deliver them is to get the inspectors back to work with full and free access to all relevant sites," Mr Clinton said.
Mr Blair said: "We in Britain have been looking at our own military readiness in case a diplomatic solution does not in the end prove possible. We have decided to base eight Tornado GR-1 aircraft in Kuwait, with the full agreement of the government of Kuwait. These are ground attack and reconnaissance aircraft. Their deployment is a precautionary measure and it will take place over the next few days."
The President refused to discuss any operational details of a future military strike. But he said: "If Saddam does not comply with the unanimous will of the international community we must be prepared to act, and we are."
Reuters adds from New York: The chief UN weapons inspector, Mr Richard Butler, explained to Security Council members on Thursday public comments that proved controversial, especially with the Russian and Chinese delegations.
But participants in the closed door council session said it remained fairly low-key and less animated than an exchange later between the British and Russian envoys in front of reporters.
The council meeting was arranged after Mr Butler recently received a letter from the Russian ambassador, Mr Sergei Lavrov, requesting an explanation for a number of statements.
Mr Butler said he was misreported in a newspaper interview last week that quoted him as saying Iraq had enough biological material "to blow away Tel Aviv". Mr Butler noted that the newspaper later printed a correction explaining he actually said "to blow away Tel Aviv, or wherever," making clear he did not imply Iraq had actually targeted the Israeli city.