President Clinton will continue to use diplomatic means to convince Mr Saddam Hussein to allow UN weapons inspections including US personnel in Iraq - but has also warned that force may be necessary.
In his first detailed statement since the 17-day-old crisis began, the President said last night that the US would be "working intensely with our allies and friends in the region and around the world to convince Iraq to comply with the will of the international community as expressed in the UN resolution".
Stating that the UN reconnaissance flights over Iraq by U-2 aircraft of the US air force "must continue", especially in the absence of ground inspectors, the President said that "we will maintain a strong military presence in the Gulf". He has ordered the aircraft carrier, George Washington, to the region "as a prudent measure".
Britain has also confirmed that it is sending an aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean and making an aircraft squadron available for possible service in the Gulf area.
But these separate announcements have underlined that the US and Britain are the only members of the original Gulf War "coalition" of 1990 to entertain military action at this stage as a way to make Iraq comply with this week's UN resolution. That calls for the restoration of the UN inspection team and imposes travel sanctions on Iraqi officials.
President Clinton in his statement from the White House press room said that "this is a crisis of Saddam's making. It can be unmade only when he no longer threatens the international community with weapons of mass destruction".
Mr Richard Butler, the head of the UN inspection commission (Unscom), announced yesterday that the non-US members of the team had arrived safely in Bahrain after flying from Baghdad. The six US members, the only ones to be expelled from Iraq, arrived in the Jordanian capital, Amman, after being obliged to travel overland.
While the UN Security Council early yesterday issued a new condemnation of Iraq for expelling the US members, there was behind-the-scenes criticism from Russia and China of Mr Butler, an Australian, for ordering the withdrawal of the full Unscom team before informing the council.
Mr Butler defended his action. He said that with the ultimatum by Baghdad to the six US inspectors, he had no option but to withdraw the full team or Mr Saddam would have divided Unscom.
While President Clinton played down the military preparations for a future "contingency", his Defence Secretary, Mr William Cohen, followed soon afterwards with a press conference giving details of the build-up of US forces in the Gulf. Within a week there will be two US aircraft carriers in the Gulf area as well as 18,500 troops and 200 aircraft.
Some F-17 Stealth bombers, which are undetectable by radar, are also to be stationed in the region. They could be used for a swift response if Iraq succeeded in shooting down a U-2 flight as it has threatened, Mr Cohen said. He would expect the support of "our allies" if that happened.
The US has informed Iraq that the next U-2 flight could take place this weekend. The last flight took place at too high an altitude for Iraqi air defences. Years of sanctions have seen shift in global attitude: page 10; Britain and Israel prepare for action: page 13; editorial comment: page 15