Blair gives Saddam a final ultimatum

Tony Blair gave Saddam Hussein a final warning yesterday to "disarm or face force" as he welcomed the unanimous Security Council backing for the new UN resolution on Iraq.

He told the Iraqi leader that fresh weapons inspections "are not a game of hide and seek", insisting that failure of the Iraqis to be "open and honest" about their arsenal of weapons would be treated as seriously as failure to give weapons inspectors access to sites.

He said: "My message to him is this: Disarm or you face force. There must be no more games, no more deceit, no more prevarication, obstruction or defiance."

Mr Blair told President Saddam that the survival of the Iraqi regime was in his hands, and disarmament would fulfil the UN mandate. He said: "Conflict is not inevitable but disarmament is."

He attempted to reassure critics of unilateral military action, emphasising that any breach of the UN resolution would be followed by fresh talks in the Security Council. He insisted that the resolution was not a "trigger point" for strikes without further discussion.

The Prime Minister was said to be delighted that the new resolution on Iraq had secured unanimous backing from the council. He said: "With the adoption of this resolution, the Security Council has made clear beyond doubt that the UN will tolerate no more of this. Iraq now has a final opportunity to comply with its international and legal obligations by giving up once and for all its weapons of mass destruction, its chemical, biological and nuclear weapons programmes and the means to deliver them.

"If it does not, then the consequences are clear."

Mr Blair added: "The position of the international community is now unified and certain. The weapons inspectors must return to Iraq, they must carry out their work without any restriction, condition or inhibition on their effectiveness.

"The duty of Saddam Hussein is to co-operate fully and totally. It is not a game of hide and seek where the inspectors try their best to find the weapons and Saddam does his best to conceal them."

Michael Ancram, the shadow Foreign Secretary, said: "We welcome the fact that the resolution is unanimous. It underlines the United Nations' determination to deal conclusively with Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction."

Menzies Campbell, the Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman, said: "If any further action by the Security Council is required in implementation of this resolution, unanimity would be equally desirable."