President Bush has again declined to rule out military action against Iraq, saying he is considering various options in respect to Iraq and does not plan to make any of them public.

Mr. Bush told reporters in Washington Wednesday that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein -- in his words -- "needs to understand I am serious about defending our country." The president said any alliance between terrorist organizations and nations that pursue nuclear and other destructive weapons could be devastating for those who fight for freedom.

On Tuesday, Secretary of State Colin Powell said the administration would first turn to political and diplomatic means with respect to Iraq, Iran, and North Korea. But the Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper reports that President Bush has decided to oust Saddam Hussein. The newspaper quotes unnamed U.S. officials as saying Mr. Bush has ordered the Central Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon, and other U.S. agencies to devise military, diplomatic, and covert steps to achieve that goal.

The United States has long believed the Iraqi government is trying to acquire chemical, biological, and or nuclear weapons. Wednesday, Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan said his country is free of such weapons, and said there is no need for U.N. weapons inspectors to return to Iraq. Iraq has refused to readmit the arms inspectors since their departure in December 1998.

Speaking in Istanbul, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz urged the United States to consider the impact a military strike on Iraq would have on Turkey, Iraq's neighbor. Mr. Yilmaz said his country is against an intervention that will disrupt the borders and balance of power in the region. He added that Turkey's position does not constitute support for the Iraqi government, which he called a primitive and anachronistic regime.

Some information for this report provided by AFP and Reuters.

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