Bush determined to oust Saddam despite objections

US President George W

US President George W. Bush has indicated he was unswayed by arguments against using force against Iraq, saying at a meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah he was determined to review all options for ousting Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

Abdullah was quoted in a Washington Postinterview as saying it would be a "tremendous mistake" for the United States to ignore warnings against a military campaign to drive out Saddam.

"I will assure his majesty, like I have in the past, we're looking at all options, the use of all tools. ... He'll find out I haven't changed my mind," Mr Bush told reporters at the start of his Oval Office meeting with Abdullah.

Abdullah said he was confident Mr Bush "understands the bigger picture, and at the end of the day peace and stability in the Middle East has been in the forefront of his mind."

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Some of the United States' closest allies are urging Mr Bush against early military action to oust Saddam.

The warnings come from key European and Middle East allies - except Britain. The leaders of France and Germany cautioned earlier this week that they could not support a US assault on Iraq - home to the world's second biggest oil reserves - without a UN mandate, which US and British officials argue is not legally necessary.

Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, whose country would be a vital base for any US strike on Iraq, said earlier he was trying to dissuade Washington from a military operation.