Military action against Iraq may be 'unavoidable' - Bush

George W Bush says military action against Iraq may become "unavoidable" if Saddam Hussein refuses to disarm.

Mr Bush sounded the warning on his weekly radio address.

He said that Saddam's weapons programme posed a "grave and growing" threat and inaction could lead to "massive and sudden horror".

Mr Bush's radio address, recorded at his Kennebunkport holiday home, comes ahead of a televised speech on Monday in which he is due to set out his case for resorting to military force to disarm Saddam.

He stated: "Our country values life and we will never seek war unless it is essential to security and justice.

"We hope that Iraq complies with the world's demands. If, however, the Iraqi regime persists in its defiance, the use of force may become unavoidable.

"Delay, indecision, and inaction are not options for America, because they could lead to massive and sudden horror."

He added that the danger to America from the Iraqi regime was "grave and growing".

He continued: "We cannot leave the future of peace and the security of America in the hands of this cruel and dangerous man.

"This dictator must be disarmed and all the United Nations resolutions against his brutality and support for terrorism must be enforced."