WASHINGTON, Sept 4: Amidst mounting international complaints that he is not consulting enough over his plans, US president George Bush said on Wednesday he would lay out the case against Saddam in a Sept 12 speech to the UN General Assembly in New York.

“I am going to state clearly to the United Nations what I think,” he said bluntly of Saddam’s flouting of UN sanctions and his refusal to allow weapons inspectors to return.

“I will first remind the United Nations that for 11 long years Saddam Hussein has side-stepped, crawfished, weaseled out of any agreement he had made, not to develop weapons of mass destruction, agreements he’s made to treat the people within his country with respect,” Bush said.

“I’m going to call upon the world to recognize that he is stiffing the world and I will lay out and I will talk about ways to make sure that he fulfills his obligations,” he said.

CONGRESS: Bush pledged to seek Congress approval for any military action to oust Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and said he would explain the “serious threat” posed by Iraq to the United Nations next week.

Bush made clear that the United States had to act to remove Saddam from power. “Doing nothing about that threat is not an option for the United States,” he said after meeting Congress leaders.

“Saddam Hussein is a serious threat,” Bush told reporters. “He is a significant problem and it’s something that this country must deal with.”

“At the appropriate time, this administration will go to the Congress to seek approval for (what is) necessary to deal with the threat,” he said. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle said a Congress motion could be passed within weeks.—AFP