President Bush says it is time for the world to confront Iraq over its weapons of mass destruction.
Speaking at a news conference late Thursday, Mr. Bush said the world must face the possibility of military action after 12 years of failed diplomatic efforts to disarm Saddam Hussein.
Mr. Bush pledged not to leave the United States and the rest of the world vulnerable to the Iraqi leader's banned weapons. He called Saddam Hussein a threat to the United States, his neighbors in the region, as well as the people of Iraq. He also said that if the United States goes to war, there will be regime change in Iraq.
The president said that even as the United States deals with the Iraqi threat, it continues to wage global war on terror.
He praised Pakistani and U.S. officials for last week's capture of a high-ranking operative of the al-Qaida terrorist network, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, who is said to have planned the September 11th, 2001 attacks on the United States.
Speaking about North Korea, Mr. Bush said the best way to solve the crisis on the Korean peninsula is through multi-lateral action involving countries directly affected by Pyongyang's nuclear threat, including Japan, China, South Korea and Russia.