United Nations ? President Bush told the United Nations on Thursday that “action will be unavoidable” against Iraq if Saddam Hussein does not immediately abandon his chemical, biological and nuclear weapons programs. But Bush gave the U.N. one more chance to confront the Iraqi leader before unleashing U.S. force.

Bush laid out five demands Hussein must meet immediately, from destroying all weapons of mass destruction to accounting for 600 soldiers still missing from the Persian Gulf War, even though Bush’s aides said the president does not believe Saddam will meet the demands.

Bush set no deadline for U.N. action against Saddam, nor did he spell out what he expected the response to be.

In a defiantly blunt speech that was as much an indictment of U.N. inaction as it was an ultimatum for Saddam, Bush widened his argument for Saddam’s ouster. The Iraqi leader, Bush said, has not only defied the U.N. by failing to allow weapons inspections but remains in violation of U.N. demands over human rights, war reparations and support for terrorists.

“The history, the logic and the facts lead to one conclusion: Saddam Hussein’s regime is a grave and gathering danger,” Bush said.

“To hope otherwise is to hope against the evidence. To assume this regime’s good faith is to bet the lives of millions and the peace of the world in a reckless gamble.”

Seeking a coalition

Secretary of State Colin Powell in the next several days will be negotiating the contents of the next and possibly final U.N. resolution on Iraq with other members of the Security Council. Of the so-called Permanent Five Russia, China, France, Great Britain and the U.S. only British Prime Minister Tony Blair has backed Bush’s call for Saddam’s overthrow.

If Iraq fails to comply with U.N. demands this time, Bush said, “the world must move deliberately, decisively to hold Iraq to account.”

“We will work with the U.N. Security Council for the necessary resolutions,” Bush said, reassuring world leaders who had almost unanimously urged him to do just that. “But the purposes of the United States should not be doubted. The Security Council resolutions will be enforced.”

‘Decade of defiance’

The U.N. voted nine times in 11 years on resolutions demanding that Saddam eliminate his stocks of chemical and biological weapons and to allow U.N. inspectors to determine his compliance. Saddam’s “decade of defiance” has created “a difficult and defining moment” for the United Nations, Bush said. It is now up to the global organization to prove its relevance to the world, he said.

“The conduct of the Iraqi regime is a threat to the authority of the United Nations and a threat to peace,” Bush told the wary world leaders. “Are Security Council resolutions to be honored and enforced or cast aside without consequence? Will the United Nations serve the purpose of its founding or will it be irrelevant?”

Bush reminded world leaders that the U.N. was created in the wake of World War II to ensure that “the peace of the world must never again be destroyed by the will and wickedness of one man,” Adolf Hitler.

And, Saddam, he said, is “exactly the kind of aggressive threat the United Nations was born to confront.”

“We have been more than patient,” Bush said. “But Saddam Saddam has defied all these efforts and continues to develop weapons of mass destruction.”

World leaders had sternly warned Bush that they would not support him if the United States attacked Iraq on its own and without further provocation.

Allied criticism

Before his much-anticipated speech, Bush was under strong criticism by allies for insistence the United States was prepared to strike alone and pre-emptively against Iraq.

Indeed, just minutes before Bush spoke, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan addressed the General Assembly and reiterated global concerns about the potential consequences of such go-it-alone policies.

“Even the most powerful countries know that they need to work with others, in multilateral institutions, to achieve their aims,” Annan said.

“When states decide to use force to deal with broader threats to international peace and security, there is no substitute for the unique legitimacy provided by the United Nations,” he said.

However, in an indication that Bush has succeeded to some extent in persuading other countries to acknowledge the need to address the situation in Iraq, Annan called on Baghdad to comply with existing U.N. resolutions.

“I urge Iraq to comply with its obligations for the sake of its own people and for the sake of world order,” he said. “If Iraq’s defiance continues, the council must face its responsibilities.”

Push at home

In addition to lobbying for support from the international community, Bush is continuing to push Congress to approve a resolution of support before it adjourns next month.

In a sign of hope for the White House, Bush’s speech drew praise from Democrats and Republicans alike on Capitol Hill. “I thought the president was clear, forceful,” said Senate Republican Leader Trent Lott. “We must vote to show support for the president right now.”

Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle said he was encouraged by Bush’s willingness to consult with the international community but said he will await the world’s reaction before allowing the Senate to act on such a resolution.

“I think it was helpful, I don’t think it was conclusive,” Daschle said of the speech.