Shortly after his arrival in Prague on Tuesday evening for a summit meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Bush told Czech television that if Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein refuses to disarm, he "will lead a coalition of the willing and disarm him."

"Of course, I hope our NATO friends will come with us," he said.

But he admitted that it will not be easy to him to do so. "We are not close to that decision point yet because we are just beginning the process of allowing Saddam the chance to show the world whether or not he will disarm," he said.

He also added that he hoped Hussein will keep his promises and allow weapons inspectors to work in Iraq, and then no military action will be needed.

Bush, arriving first among 19 NATO leaders for the two-day summit, told reporters before his departure that his priorities were to ready the military alliance for its new mission in combating international terrorism and to line up European support for a looming confrontation with Iraq.

During the summit, seven east European nations are expected to be invited to join the 19-member military alliance.

But Bush emphasized again that this is not a move directed against Russia. "Today we face a new threat, and the alliance mustbe restructured to meet it," the US president told reporters.

In the course of the two-day summit, the military alliance leaders are also expected to give the green light to a strike force for high intensity warfare.

(Xinhua News Agency November 20, 2002)