"The Baghdad regime is a threat not only to its neighbouring countries but to the entire world," Blair said in an interview with Al-Anba, claiming he had evidence Saddam Hussein recently resumed developing ballistic missiles.

Blair said he has a "treasure of evidence" that Baghdad possesses the weapons, "which is the reason Saddam Hussein is obstructing the work of international weapons inspectors."

Everyone in Britain still believes Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction, "and he's trying, with all means, to manufacture them and obtain more," said Blair, whose country helped lead the coalition force that drove occupying Iraqi troops out of Kuwait in 1991.

"We have said before that we will declare to the world a bulk of evidence on Saddam Hussein's regime.

"The world should know about Saddam Hussein's continuous attempts to obtain weapons of mass destruction and his vicious violations of human rights."

Blair also said it was too early to tell whether Iraq's negotiations with the United Nations on allowing UN inspectors back into Iraq would bring a "real change" in Iraq's position or were simply more propaganda.

"It's important that the international community continue applying pressure on Saddam Hussein so he respects his agreements and turns them into actions," said Blair.

He also reiterated that Britain welcomed Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Abdullah's initiative for Middle East peace.

"The only way to achieve progress based on the initiative (adopted by the Arab summit in March) is to return to appropriate political negotiations with the entire international community."

Blair said he sympathised both with Israeli anger "when innocent people are killed in coffee shops" and Palestinian anger "when innocent civilians are killed by Israeli attacks or when they see their president (Yasser Arafat) being treated as inferior."

Arafat has been trapped by Israeli troops in his Ramallah headquarters since Israel launched its military offensive on the West Bank.

"We should all intensify our efforts" to achieve peace in the Middle East, he continued.

"We know the solution is not easy to come by but we realise that nothing could possibly be achieved but through two important principles," he said, namely an independent Palestinian state and an Israeli state secure within its borders.

Iraq Close To Getting Crude Nuke
Meanwhile a ranking US lawmaker warned Saturday that Iraq may already have or is close to obtaining the capacity to use a crude nuclear weapon against its foes.

During an interview with CNN's "Novak, Hunt and Shields" program, House International Relations Committee Chairman Henry Hyde was asked whether US military action against Baghdad would be justified because of its ties deadly September 11 suicide attacks or because it has the capacity, or almost the capacity, to deliver crude nuclear weapons right now.

"I think possibly the second is true, because the inspectors -- the UN inspectors have been out of the country for over three years," Hyde responded.

The Illinois Republican said he was convinced Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had the money to undertake such a project as well as scientists who could provide the know-how.

"I would not rule out at all that he has, or nearly has, these weapons that we cannot let him acquire," Hyde stated.

Hyde said he did not think it would be responsible for the United States to let Saddam Hussein develop weapons of mass destruction "because he'll use them."

But he cautioned against precipitous, unilateral action, arguing that Washington should try to build regional coalitions and get the support of the other countries before launching a military campaign.

"I don't want to march on Iraq tomorrow," Hyde said, "but I want to do what I think our intelligence tells us is best for avoiding an all-out delivery of weapons of mass destruction."

Central Intelligence Agency Director George Tenet, testifying in Congress last month, said that Iraq continued to build and expand an infrastructure capable of producing weapons of mass destruction.

But he did not say that Baghdad was close to becoming a nuclear-armed state.

"Iraq retains a significant number of nuclear scientists, program documentation, and probably some dual-use manufacturing infrastructure that could support a reinvigorated nuclear weapons program," Tenet told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

"Baghdad's access to foreign expertise could support a rejuvenated program, but our major near-term concern is the possibility that Saddam might gain access to fissile material," said the CIA director.

US Plans To Attack Iraq Draws Warnings Washington (AFP) Apr 28, 2002 - Reports of US plans to attack Iraq early next year provoked calls for caution Sunday from Saudi Arabia and a key US lawmaker.

The New York Times reported Sunday that the administration of US President George W. Bush is developing plans for a major air campaign against Iraq and a ground invasion early next year.

US officials said no decision has been made to attack Iraq, and Bush had received no proposal concerning Iraq.

"We will deal with Iraq at our own time in a manner of our own choosing," a senior US official told AFP on condition of anonymity. "The United States policy about Iraq is very clear, and the world understands the nature of the Iraqi regime."

The official said contingency plans with regard to Iraq had been prepared over the last 10 years and it was "normal that they would update regularly these contingency plans."

Iraq figures prominently along with Iran and North Korea in Bush's "axis of evil" for its alleged support for terrorism and attempts to develop nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.

Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said any attempt to depose Iraqi President Saddam Hussein may be unnecessary if he agrees to arms inspections mandated by the United Nations.

"If Iraq accepts these inspectors, then we don't see there is any reason for attacks," the foreign minister told ABC's "This Week" program.

"We believe that Iraq ... has made a decision not to return to the actions it took in 2nd August 1990: not to threaten Kuwait, to guarantee the territorial integrity and independence of Kuwait, to finish the implementation of the United Nations Security Council resolutions. And they just announced today their meeting with the secretary general to have inspectors back on Iraqi soil."

Senator Tom Daschle, leader of the majority Democrats in the US Senate, also counseled caution, saying US anti-terror efforts should focus on unfinished business in Afghanistan, where remnants of the militant al-Qaeda and Taliban groups still pose a threat.

"I don't think there's any question, we need a regime change in Iraq. I think that there is strong bipartisan support for that and probably worldwide support," Daschle told ABC.

"I think that at some point in the future, we'll weigh all of our options. But right now we got to keep our focus. We've got to win the war on terror, we've got to stabilize Afghanistan. We have to all that we can to ensure that we succeed there before we take on another mission."

Allegations of Saddam's support for terror came under fire in another report which suggested that there was no proof of a meeting between one of the alleged conspirators in deadly September 11 suicide attacks met an Iraqi agent in Prague beforehand.

Czech officials acknowledged that the information about Mohammed Atta's meeting with the agent may have been mistaken, Newsweek reports in its Monday issue.

US intelligence officials also told the magazine that they believe Atta was not even in Prague at the time of the alleged encounter.

Atta is a suspected ringleader in the attacks, which killed some 3,000 people in the United States.

Meanwhile, Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri arrived in Moscow for talks with his Russian counterpart, Igor Ivanov.

Russia is seeking to negotiate the end of UN sanctions against Iraq in return for a commitment by Baghdad to allow a return of arms inspectors who pulled out of the country on the eve of a December 1998 US-British bombing blitz.

Iraq insists it no longer has prohibited weapons or the means to develop them, but Sabri hinted in late March that Baghdad might nonetheless allow the inspectors back.

Sabri has announced he will shortly hold talks in New York with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

All rights reserved. � 2002 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.

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