'Saddam has world against him'- Turkish PM

Turkey's prime minister has called on Saddam Hussein to allow UN weapons inspectors into Iraq, and warned refusal could bring massive US retaliation.

The Iraqi leader "has to pull himself together, he has to get in line," Bulent Ecevit told state-owned TRT television. "He has nearly the whole world against him."

He said swift action to admit weapons inspectors could avert the threat of US

action against Iraq, as favoured by some Washington hawks.

Refusing to admit the inspectors could bring "serious afflictions, not only for Iraq but for the whole world, especially the Middle East and Turkey," Ecevit said.

Iraq has refused since 1998 to allow UN inspectors into the country to check if the Baghdad regime has dismantled its weapons of mass destruction.

Earlier this week, Ecevit said the Turkish foreign minister had written to Baghdad urging the admission of the inspectors, but had "not had a satisfactory response."

Ecevit, who visited Washington last week, said US President George W. Bush had made clear Washington's concerns about the Iraqi leader. But he said officials had not discussed imminent military action.

"There is a gleam of hope here, if a solution can be found through diplomatic means," Ecevit said.

Turkey was a launching pad for strikes against Iraq in the 1991 Gulf War, and still hosts US and British planes that patrol a no-fly zone over Iraq's north.

Turkey fears the toppling of Saddam Hussein could lead Kurds in northern Iraq to create a Kurdish state. That could in turn boost aspirations of autonomy-seeking Kurds in Turkey.