WASHINGTON, March 7: President George Bush has said Iraqi weapons of mass destruction posed a threat to America’s security and Washington does not need UN approval to defend itself.

Speaking at a prime-time news conference at the White House on Thursday night, Mr Bush also announced that Washington would force a vote in the Security Council to make each nation take a stand on the issue.

“We are in the final stages of diplomatic efforts to disarm Saddam Hussein,” he said.

“I’m confident the American people understand that when it comes to our security, if we need to act we will act. And we really don’t need the United Nations’ approval to do so,” the president replied when asked if he was worried about going to war without explicit authorization from the UN.

“And as we head into the 21st century, when it comes to our security, we really don’t need anybody’s permission,” he said.

Asked if he was close to declaring a war on Iraq, Mr Bush said his administration would spend “only days” for seeking a UN authorization for using force.

Speaking for 45 minutes in sombre tone, Mr Bush said his administration had determined that Iraq is a threat to the United States and would defend the country against the Iraqi threat. “We will not wait to see what terrorists or terrorist states could do with weapons of mass destruction. We are determined to confront threats wherever they arise. And I will not leave the American people at the mercy of the Iraqi dictator and his weapons.”

The White House called the news conference in a week when the president’s diplomacy seemed to be isolated. On Wednesday, France and Russia threatened to veto any UN resolution that called for an attack on Iraq, and an informal count of the members of the Security Council showed the US had few allies.

Last weekend, the Turkish parliament refused to approve American troops moving through its country to open a northern front against Iraq, and though a second vote may be taken, Mr Bush said the United States could carry its attack to Iraq without that corridor.

Mr Bush presented no new evidence against Iraq, repeating as he has done in the past that President Saddam had not disarmed. He dismissed as an Iraqi effort to buy time reports earlier this week by chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix that Iraq had destroyed some missiles.

The US president neither criticized nor confronted France and Russia. Mentioning France and Germany, Mr Bush said “they’re still our friends and we will deal with them as friends”. But he said: “We have a disagreement over how to best deal with Saddam Hussein.”

Mr Bush said the US would seek a vote “to see people stand up and say what their opinion is about Saddam Hussein and the utility of the United Nations Security Council... No matter what the whip count is, we’re calling for a vote... It’s time for people to show their cards, let the world know where they stand when it comes to Saddam.”

Mr Bush was asked by several reporters about the cost in lives to American combat forces and Iraq civilians in the event of a war. “The price of doing nothing exceeds the price of taking action if we have to,” he replied. “We will do everything to minimize the loss of life. The cost of attacks on America on Sept 11 were enormous. They were significant. And I am not willing to take that chance again.”

Throughout the news conference, Mr Bush seemed subdued and weary. He called upon reporter after reporter in what he acknowledged was a “scripted” exchange, exceeding the number of questioners that the White House press office usually calibrates.