Straw: warning to Saddam

Halting the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction is as vital as closing down global terror networks, Jack Straw has said.

In a speech to UN foreign ministers in New York, the foreign secretary served notice on the combined threat of rogue states and terror groups.

"Today's terrorists respect no rules, no one's life; not others' lives, not even their own. They respect no values, no religion," he said.

"They are criminals cloaked in a cause; psychopathic killers who define themselves by the terror which they inflict on others."

As the tick clocks towards a conflict in Iraq, Straw warned that inaction was not an option.

"We have to unite as never before in the face of this threat - and act," Straw said.

And he will warn that rogue states will assist terrorists in order to destabilise the democratic world.

"We have to expose the connection between the terrorists who respect no rules, and the states which respect no rules," he argued.

"It is the leaders of rogue states who set the example: brutalise their people; celebrate violence; provide a haven for terrorists to operate; and, worse than that, through their chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, again in defiance of all rules, provide a tempting arsenal for terrorists to use."

The foreign secretary also warned Saddam Hussein that he has just days to comply with the UN resolution on weapons of mass destruction.

He told the Iraqi leader that "there comes a moment when our patience must run out".

"Action to stop rogue states' proliferation is as urgent as action to stop terrorism," he said.

"Yes, wherever we can, we should use diplomatic means to get proliferators to comply, as we are with North Korea, patiently.

"We are near that point with Iraq. The moment of choice for Saddam is close.

"He must either resolve this crisis peacefully, by the full and active compliance with his Security Council obligations and full cooperation with inspectors, or face the 'serious consequences' - the use of force - which this council warned would follow when it passed 1441."