US to hit Iraq even if it allows inspections - Bush aide

The United States will seek to remove Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein even if he lets UN weapons inspectors resume their work, a US official has said.

“The case for regime change is broader than just weapons of mass destruction,” the official said yesterday, calling Saddam a supporter of terrorism and a threat to the region.

Asked whether there was anything the Iraqi president could do to change America’s determination to remove him, the official, who would not be named, said there was not.

“Regime change is the policy of this government,” he said.

But the US would continue to press Saddam to readmit UN inspectors and live up to previous commitments to disarm, he said.

In Washington, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee said he wants Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to appear before the panel to discuss how prepared US forces are for a war against Iraq.

Senator John Warner of Virginia is the latest senior figure to insist that Congress be heard in the debate on whether to invade Iraq – even as the Bush administration says congressional approval is not legally needed.

“Congress, as a coequal branch of government, is, in my opinion, not going to sit on the sidelines,” Warner said.

He said the time has come for the committee to hold hearings on Iraq after the congressional recess ends next week.

He said the first witnesses should be administration officials – preferably Rumsfeld and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Richard Myers.

Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria Clarke said Rumsfeld expects to be asked to testify next month and is prepared to do so.

And a White House spokesman said hearings would be “part of a healthy discussion about how we move forwards on Iraq”.