Geoff Hoon has warned of the risks of not stripping Saddam Hussein of his weapons of mass destruction.

During a visit to Kuwait, where he is visiting British troops, the defence secretary said Iraq posed a real threat to global security.

His comments come ahead of a crucial week for the government. Tony Blair will on Tuesday make the case for war in an emergency statement to MPs.

Ahead of his speech, the prime minister was set to meet with the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams.

And the foreign secretary will open an emergency Commons debate on Iraq on Wednesday.

MPs will be given a vote - although they will not be asked to endorse a conflict.

Ahead of the push, Hoon warned that inaction in Iraq was not an option.

"People say Saddam may be bad but question whether he threatens us directly. I would remind them of these facts: perhaps it may never happen but history certainly teaches us differently. And the consequences of being wrong would be catastrophic," he said.

Doing nothing to disarm Saddam would be easy, but dangerous, the defence secretary warned.

"To do nothing to give Saddam Hussein time without end, as he wishes, would be easier than taking action, certainly."

While Hoon said a second UN resolution would be welcome he insisted it was not necessary in legal terms.

The government signalled that it is ready to bring forward a draft resolution shortly, although it is unlikely that the security council will vote on it yet.

Hoon also signalled that ministers would not be distracted by siren voices demanding that Saddam be left untouched.

Pointing to action in Sierra Leone and Kosovo, Hoon said: "In every one of these cases, we took action against a background of concerned voices. They claimed it was wrong to do so and predicted disaster at every turn.

"Yet in each case the action we took alongside our allies was ultimately proved to have been the right thing to do.

"The same voices are raised again now. For some, conflict of any sort will never be excusable.

"I have respect for those who hold such firm moral positions. But I believe that history has sadly proved them comprehensively wrong."

But he warned that there was no plan for an imminent attack on Baghdad.

"As the prime minister said in the United Kingdom last week, there is no rush to war, we must do everything we can to avoid war, but we must also make clear that if conflict remains the only way of disarming Saddam Hussein, we are ready," said Hoon.