Blair and Bush to discuss action against Iraq

Earlier, both Mr Blair and Mr Bush launched a diplomatic drive to win global backing for tougher action against Saddam Hussein.

The two leaders separately telephoned Russia's President, Vladimir Putin, and France's President, Jacques Chirac, both of whom expressed serious reservations about toppling the Iraqi president.

The US president also spoke to China's President Jiang Zemin.

A White House official said the discussions were the beginning of the process to consult allies on how to remove what he called the threat posed by Saddam Hussein.

The contacts follow what is being described as one of the biggest ever raids by American and British war-planes, on a military installation in western Iraq.

An Iraqi military spokesman said that US and British warplanes had bombed civilian installations southwest of Baghdad, without causing any casualties.

Mr Bush has been attempting to come up with a new United Nations Security Council resolution that would present the Iraqi leader with an ultimatum on the issue of weapons inspectors.

However the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, has reiterated his opposition to a US attack on Iraq, saying it would be imprudent. Mr Annan said that an attack would increase international tension.

He made his remarks after meeting with the French president, Jacques Chirac.

But he added that he was "encouraged" by the willingness of US President George W Bush to consult the international community before undertaking military action against Iraqi.

Earlier today Labour Party MPs in Britain criticised remarks by Tony Blair over a possible war against Iraq.

In a BBC television interview to be broadcast on Sunday, Mr Blair agreed with a question that Britain had to pay a blood price in its relationship with the United States.

The Father of the House of Commons, Tam Dalyell, said that before talking about a "blood price", Mr Blair had a moral duty to recall parliament.

Another Labour Party MP, Glenda Jackson, said it was ludicrous that the Iraqi situation had not been debated in the Commons.

The Conservative Party leader, Iain Duncan Smith, said there would never be enough evidence of President Saddam Hussein's weapons stockpile for those who did not want to believe.

Meanwhile, the US ambassador to Berlin, Daniel Coats, who has criticised the German government over its opposition to military action against Iraq, was invited to the German Foreign Ministry for talks earlier today.

The German government denied reports that Mr Coats had been summoned. It is understood the ambassador was given the German viewpoint but observers say the meeting highlighted the diplomatic rift between Berlin and Washington over what to do about Iraq.

Meanwhile oil prices in London have risen to their highest levels this year as a result of growing fears of a US attack on Iraq.