The British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, today sought to rally support for possible military action against Iraq, urging a recalled House of Commons not to shirk from doing what was "necessary and right".
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Anti-war protesters stand outside the Houses of Parliament as Britain's MPs attend a debate on Iraq in London.
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Publishing the Government's long awaited dossier on Saddam Hussein's weapons programme, Mr Blair warned MPs that the Iraqi dictator could activate his chemical and biological arsenal in just 45 minutes.
The 50-page document, drawing on intelligence material from MI6, MI5 and GCHQ, outlined Iraq's attempts to acquire nuclear weapons and to develop long range ballistic missiles capable of hitting Israel or British bases in Cyprus.
The dossier says Iraq is five years away from producing a nuclear weapon on its own but this could be shortened to between one and two years if it obtained weapons-grade material from abroad.
The document also claims Saddam has recalled specialists to work on his nuclear programme and retains expertise and design data relating to such weapons.
British intelligence officials believe up to 20 medium-range al-Hussein missiles - capable of striking Israel, Turkey and Cyprus - have been retained by Iraq in violation of UN resolutions.
In a statement to MPs ahead of the day-long Commons debate, Mr Blair warned that if Saddam were to use such weapons the consequences would "engulf the whole world".
"If the international community having made the call for his disarmament, now, at this moment, at the point of decision, shrugs its shoulders and walks away, he will draw the conclusions dictators faced with a weakening will always draw," he said.
"That the international community will talk but not act, will use diplomacy but not force; and we know, again from our history, that diplomacy not backed by the threat of force has never worked with dictators and never will work."
In the Commons Mr Blair was, as expected, supported by Tory leader Mr Iain Duncan Smith who said that Britain must not shy away from its responsibilities at a time of international crisis.
"History is littered with the desire of decent people to give the likes of Saddam Hussein a second chance," he said. "He has had ten years of second chances. Now surely is the time to act."
However it was the reaction on the Labour benches that will most concern Mr Blair and his ministers with up to 50 MPs thought to be prepared to vote against the Government on a technical motion.
Mr Tam Dalyell, the Father of the House and a long time opponent of military action, pressed unsuccessfully for a chance for MPs to vote on a substantive motion against a conflict.
Mr Alan Simpson dismissed the dossier as "deeply flawed, partial and superficial" and accused the US of pressing for military action in order to secure Iraqi oil rights. "Sadly, I think Bush will hit Iraq in much the same way that a drunk will hit a bottle. He needs to satisfy his thirst for power and for oil," he said.
Liberal Democrat leader Mr Charles Kennedy also voiced his opposition to joining the US in "precipitate action" against Iraq. "For those of us who have never subscribed to British unilateralism, we are not about to sign up to American unilateralism now either," he said.
PA