President George W. Bush has said the UN Security Council is in the final stages of deciding whether to begin war against Iraq and accused Saddam Hussein of staging a "willfull charade" of disarmament.
Mr Bush also said the US would call for UN vote on an Iraq resolution regardless of it prospects of success.
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"We are days away from resolving this issue at the Security Council," Mr Bush told a press conference at the White House to discuss Iraq and the "war on terrorism".
It was "the final stages of diplomacy," he added, highlighting how more than 200,000 US troops are in place around Iraq ready for a war.
"Saddam Hussein is not disarming. This is a fact. It cannot be denied," Mr Bush told the press conference that begun at 1 a.m. Irish time.
In the face of a UN disarmament ultimatum, "Saddam Hussein's response is to produce a few weapons for show while he hides the rest and builds even more," Mr Bush said in an opening statement.
"Saddam Hussein has a long history of reckless aggression and terrible crimes. . . . He possesses weapons of terror, he provides funding and training and safe haven to terrorists, terrorists who would willingly use weapons of mass destruction against America and other peace-loving countries.
"These are the actions of a regime engaged in a willfull charade," Mr Bush insisted.
The president also praised Pakistan for its help in detaining Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the number three in the al-Qaeda terrorist network.
Mr Bush said Sheikh Mohammed, who was held in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi last Saturday, was "the mastermind" of the September 11th attacks in the United States in 2001.
AFP