Number 10 has rejected Saddam Hussein's latest efforts to comply with UN weapons inspectors.

Speaking as Baghdad announced it had destroyed more of its al-Samoud II missiles, Downing Street said the move had to be treated with "a degree of scepticism".

"In 15 weeks, the inspectors have not been able to close a single outstanding issue," said a spokesman for the prime minister.

Reflecting on Saddam's past record, Downing Street maintained the Iraqi dictator was playing games with the international community.

"Given the history of Iraq, given the history of deception, the history of cheating, the history of lies, it is understandable that we should be approaching what we see at the moment with a degree of scepticism.''

The move came as the prime minister maintains his offensive to secure support for a military option in Iraq.

Tony Blair will this week engage in a final round of diplomacy ahead of Friday's report by chief weapons inspector Hans Blix.

Speaking this weekend, the prime minister said he would not back military action in the Middle East if he thought it was "morally wrong".

Amid continuing public scepticism about the case for military action, Blair told the Independent on Sunday that he would "never go into war if I thought it was morally wrong".

The prime minister remains at odds with the positions taken by the Pope and the Archbishop of Canterbury, who have warned that the moral case for war has not been made.

And he added that with the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, the ordinary Iraqi people "will be the biggest winners".

Blair's comments came as he prepared for a crucial week in the Iraq crisis.

Blix presents his latest update to the United Nations security council on Friday.

With Iraq having begun destruction of its al-Samoud II missiles he may be able to report that progress continues to be made.

That judgement would make it much more difficult for Britain, America and Spain to get the backing needed for a second resolution authorising military force.

Blair said he thought it was still possible to "build support" for the new resolution.

But the French government has indicated its continuing opposition to such a move by the security council.

French foreign minister Dominique de Villepin told BBC1's Breakfast with Frost that resolution 1441 meant the international community should "work through the inspections until the point when we found ourselves in a deadlock".

"It is for the inspectors to write a report saying 'We can't work any more'.

"Are we in such a situation? No. Do we need a second resolution? No. Are we going to oppose a second resolution? Yes, as are the Russians and many other countries," he said.

The latest attempts to win over critics of his Iraq policy came as Iain Duncan Smith urged the country to back British troops if they are sent into action.

Duncan Smith, himself a former Guardsman, was speaking during a visit to members of the armed forces stationed in Kuwait.

"I think, clearly, British troops, Naval personnel, the RAF, would like to know they have the full support of the British people back at home," he said.

"My view is that they do, and I think that, as deployed and when they go into action, they will have that full support.

"I don't believe the British people are against action. They just want to make sure that action is literally the last resort once we've done everything else."