"The role of a leader is to decide policy based upon the security," Bush said, standing beneath a portrait of former President Theodore Roosevelt.

WASHINGTON, February 19 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – United States President George W. Bush shrugged off massive anti-war protests all over the world, saying that a decision to go to war should be based on security alone.

"The role of a leader is to decide policy based upon the security, in this case the security of the people. Some in the world don't view Saddam Hussein as a risk to peace. I respectfully disagree." Bush said at the White House on Tuesday, February 19.

"Size of protest, it's like deciding, 'Well, I'm going to decide policy based upon a focus group'," 

Although he repeated that he had not yet made a decision to go to war, Bush added that the risk of doing nothing is "an even worse option as far as I'm concerned."

"Democracy is a beautiful thing, and that people are allowed to express their opinion," Bush joked, signaling that he would not be swayed by the scale of the peace marches, which brought six million people on to the streets of cities around the world, from Chicago to London and to Cape Town, The Independent reported.

Over the weekend, massive demonstrations reportedly amassed more than 100,000 people in New York, as part of a global series of protests in more than 350 cities around the world from London to Cairo.

The President spoke as American and British diplomats were scrambling to craft a United Nations resolution on Iraq that might be submitted to the Security Council as early as this afternoon.

The text, which is certain to face stiff opposition, would try to open the path to war as Bush vowed to continue pushing America's allies to accept that Iraq should be punished by war for failing to disarm, the paper added.

Although many diplomats believe the Security Council may agree to a new ultimatum and a deadline for Iraq to comply, the President seemed to pour cold water on the idea, saying he was in no mood to give President Saddam "another, another, another last chance" read the paper.

"He knows my feelings, and that is, he needs to disarm, completely and totally disarm. He's a fellow that likes to buy time and buy it through deception and delay."

Calling Saddam a "threat" to the United States, Bush told reporters "we will deal with him."

"We are working with our friends and allies to see if we can get a second resolution," he said, however, reiterating that that U.N. backing, though useful, was not necessary.

The White House had earlier said that a fresh U.N. Security Council resolution would be "desirable" before unleashing any military offensive against Iraq

U.S. "Stood on Principle"

There is "no reason" for war, says Schroeder

This came shortly after White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Washington may unveil as early as this week a new U.N. draft resolution authorizing force against Iraq.

"The draft could be released as soon as this week, (or) it could be next week. It would be relatively simple, ... not very lengthy," said Fleischer

Fleischer said that the weekend protests would not be enough to turn the US away from Iraq.

"This is not the first time there have been mass protests and in a previous instance America stood on principle ... and as a result the Berlin Wall came down," he said.

Fleischer, The Independent reported, also pointed out that President Franklin Roosevelt overcame protests from isolationists to lead American into the Second World War. "Often the message of protesters is contradicted by history."

But the U.S war threats are still confronted by a stiff opposition and more demonstrations.

In Berlin, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder also said there was no need for a further U.N. resolution. But while Bush prepared to go it alone and attack Baghdad, Schroeder took the view that there was "no reason" for war, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

Speaking on German television, Schroeder said: "Right now we have to make every possible effort to resolve this conflict peacefully."

That was at odds with Bush's comments that War "is my last choice, but the risk of doing nothing is even a worse option,"

U.S. State Colin Powell accused countries pushing for longer weapons inspections in Iraq of being "afraid" to take responsibility for a possible conflict, in reference to Germany, France, China and Russia.

Powell said on France Inter radio that "It cannot be a satisfactory solution for the inspections just to continue forever because certain nations are afraid of stepping up to the responsibility of imposing the will of the international community.

In Vietnam, nearly 2,500 people have demonstrated against the looming war on Iraq in rallies organized by Vietnam's ruling Communist Party in Hanoi and the southern business capital of Ho Chi Minh City.

Holding banners saying "Respect Independence and Sovereignty of Iraqi People" and "Stop Embargo", more than 1,100 members of the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union gathered on Tuesday evening to protest U.S. and British war-mongering.

"Failure"

At the United Nations, Iraq urged the Security Council to heed the voice of millions of anti-war protestors worldwide and reject U.S. demands to disarm it by force.

Authorizing a military attack would be "a failure of the international system as a whole" and "undermine the credibility of the Security Council," Iraqi U.N. ambassador Mohammed al-Douri told a council meeting opened to non-members.

The most powerful critique of U.S. policy came from Iranian ambassador Javad Zarif, who warned the council that "extremism stands to gain enormously from an uncalculated adventure in Iraq."

It would be "an admission of failure by the council" to authorize war before the inspection process was exhausted, said South African ambassador Dumisani Kumalo, who requested the meeting in the name of the non-aligned nations group.

Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General George Robertson was set to visit Washington on Wednesday for high-level talks on the Iraq crisis as the alliance was set to approve plans to aid member Turkey in the event of war, a NATO official said.

Robertson is expected to see Bush and Powell just three days after alliance members compromised on measures to defend Turkey in preparation for a possible war in Iraq, ending a rancorous standoff.

Belgium, France and Germany had blocked NATO from initiating the military planning, arguing it would send the "wrong signal" while diplomacy continued in a bid to disarm Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction.

The U.S. suffered a fresh setback when Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer said on Tuesday that his country will only open its territory to U.S. combat troops if a new U.N. resolution is passed to authorize war on Iraq