Bush urges Saddam to co-operate

US President George Bush tonight urged Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to cooperate with international efforts to eliminate the weapons of mass destruction he possesses.

“It’s time for the world to come together to disarm him,” Bush said on the eve of a UN Security Council vote on a compromise resolution demanding that Iraq disarm under threat of force.

Earlier, Bush told reporters he had talked by phone with both Russian President Vladmir Putin and French President Jacques Chirac to discuss the resolution. Both have been cool to the hardline US efforts to confront Saddam.

Bush said he was optimistic the resolution would be passed.

He said the UN arms inspectors who will go to Iraq under the terms of the resolution would be rigorous in their operations.

“The status quo is not acceptable,” Bush said. “We have to make sure (Saddam’s ) 11 years of defiance” (of UN resolutions) do not go unanswered ... We expect Saddam to disarm. This time we mean it.”

Asked at a news conference why the United States was prepared to use force to disarm Iraq, but not to move militarily against North Korea, which has admitted to having a nuclear weapons programme, Bush said: “I do care about North Korea ...(but) we will deal with each threat differently.”

“With North Korea, we are taking a different strategy initially. We are going to talk to countries in the neighbourhood to convince North Korea it is not in the world’s interest that they develop” nuclear weapons.

Turning to domestic issues after his Republican party swept to victory in mid-term legislative elections on Tuesday, Bush said his top priority was legislation to create a new Department of Homeland Security. He said he wanted it this year.

“The election may be over, but the terrorist threat is still real,” Bush said.

Asked to sum up his reaction to the election, Bush said it showed that “people want something done”.

He said Congress should not wait until next year, but should take up the homeland security bill in the post-election “lame duck” session that begins next week.

“I want it done. It is a priority,” Bush said.