WASHINGTON, Jan 15: US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Wednesday that war with Iraq was not inevitable, saying Saddam Hussein could instead choose to disarm.

“We continue to hope that he will change course,” Rumsfeld said. “No one wants war. The choice between war and peace will not be made in Washington, or for that matter in New York, but in Baghdad.”

He said that Iraqi disarmament, as demanded by the United Nations, “could happen in a variety of ways besides war,” suggesting that Saddam could flee the country or chose to cooperate with inspectors.—AFP