Bush, who is turning to his closest allies for advice on whether to set a deadline for Iraq to give up its suspected weapons of mass destruction, also welcomed the idea of exile for Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to end the showdown.

Bush told Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi he hoped "the pressure of the free world" would persuade Saddam to relinquish power.

"And should he choose to leave the country along with a lot of the other henchmen who tortured the Iraqi people, we would welcome that of course," Bush said at the start of an Oval Office meeting with Berlusconi. He quickly added that "the goal of disarmament remains the same."

Bush and Berlusconi discussed the "next steps" on Iraq, US officials said. The talks continue on Friday when Bush meets Blair at Camp David. An option being considered is setting Iraq a deadline to comply with disarmament demands.

But Bush said the diplomatic window would not be open for long. "This is a matter of weeks not months. For the sake of peace this issue must be resolved. Hopefully it can be done peacefully," Bush said.

Chief weapons inspector Hans Blix said there was no evidence to suggest the Iraqis were granting inspectors greater access to key scientists they want to interview regarding Iraq's alleged arms programs.

Speaking to Britain's Channel Four Television News, he said there was still time for Saddam to cooperate.

Asked if the Iraqis had been more cooperative since Monday, when he criticized Iraq, Blix said, "No, not yet."

"There has been a good deal of helpful attitude from the Iraqi side on what we call process, that is to say on opening their sites. There has been no denial of access," he said in the interview from Washington.

"But what has been missing has been what we call cooperation on substance -- their duty to try to provide us with explanations and with evidence on what may remain of their weapons of mass destruction."

Iraq invited Blix for talks in Baghdad before they report back to the Security Council in mid-February. An Iraqi Foreign Ministry statement said meetings would focus on "discussing a number of issues related to strengthening cooperation and transparency" between the two parties.

DIPLOMACY FOCUSES ON WAR

The Bush administration began an intense round of diplomacy, trying to convince reluctant allies and much of the American public Saddam is an imminent threat that must be eliminated by force.

Leading up to what may be a crunch meeting of the UN Security Council on Feb. 14, the United States must convince the doubters it has evidence Iraq has nuclear, biological or chemical weapons of mass destruction.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Bush's staunchest ally on Iraq, said the Gulf nation's disarmament was inevitable and Saddam could choose if it came about peacefully or by force.

America's closest friends in Europe urged those opposed to invading Iraq to line up behind Bush, as the focus of diplomacy swung firmly toward preparing for war rather than averting it.

Blair, Berlusconi and six others including the leaders of Poland and Spain signed an open letter calling on the peace camp -- implicitly Germany, France and Russia -- to rally to the US fight against Iraq.

"The transatlantic relationship must not become a casualty of the current Iraqi regime's attempts to threaten world security," they wrote in a letter printed in several newspapers.

There was no sign of a change of heart, however. Public opinion in France, Germany and elsewhere remains opposed to an American-run war and Greece, the European Union president, slammed the letter for undermining efforts at EU unity.

"The president is using this window now to engage in very busy and active diplomacy. This will take place in a period of weeks, not months," Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer said. Baghdad has dismissed previous suggestions Saddam might go into exile.

SADDAM EXILE PLAYED DOWN

Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal, after a meeting with Bush at the White House, said the issue of Saddam's exile did not come up and a senior administration official played down expectations for such an outcome.

"We don't particularly want to get people's hopes up that that's going to be the resolution because nothing in his past or his present behavior would indicate he is likely to take that option," the official said.

High-level diplomacy was not restricted to Washington. Blair, who has sent much of Britain's forces to the Gulf, was to meet Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar in Madrid before flying on to Washington for talks on Friday at Camp David.

Bush says he is willing to launch the big US invasion force now massing in the Gulf without further UN backing.

But he is sending Secretary of State Colin Powell to the Security Council on Wednesday with more intelligence data in the hope of avoiding a bitter split with other big powers.

Since renewing inspections two months ago, UN experts have come up with little hard evidence of weapons banned by UN resolutions passed after the 1991 Gulf War. Chief nuclear inspector Mohamed ElBaradei renewed his calls on Thursday for several months more to conduct searches.

But US officials have made clear they have other grounds for wanting to be rid of Saddam. Bush accused him of aiding Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda, the group Washington blames for the Sept. 11 attacks. Military schedules and looming summer heat also lead many analysts to forecast that, barring surprises such as Saddam falling from power, war will begin within weeks.

"The Iraqis are on notice. They have probably till Feb. 14 before a decision will have to be made about bringing them into conformity with their international obligations," Canadian Foreign Minister Bill Graham said. Canada has argued for giving inspections more time but seemed to be hardening its stance.

On Feb. 14, ElBaradei and Blix will report again to the Security Council. ElBaradei said his teams had yet to find a "gross violation."

(China Daily January 31, 2003)