President George W Bush has said that the US is committed to taking action against Iraq with or without the UN.

The UK, co-sponsored by the US and Spain, has submitted a new draft resolution to the Council accusing Iraq of failing to disarm in line with previous resolutions.

Secretary of State Colin Powell has said: "Leaving Saddam Hussein in possession of weapons of mass destruction… is not an option."

The US has sent thousands of troops to the Gulf region to back up its threat of military action.