London: The threat of military action would recede if Iraqi President Saddam Hussein accepted the return of UN arms inspectors without condition, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said on August 22.

In an interview with BBC radio, Straw said military action remained an option "because of the threat posed by Saddam Hussein".

But he added, "If there is another way of dealing with that threat, then plainly the case for military action recedes."

British Prime Minister Tony Blair is the European leader who most strongly supports US President George W Bush's determination to oust Saddam and halt Iraq's alleged development of weapons of mass destruction.

Straw said that the Iraqi leader represented a security threat "from both his capabilities and his record," and that it was "an extremely big 'if' " as to whether he would let UN inspectors back into his country.

"The best way of trying to isolate and reduce that threat is through the introduction of weapons inspectors," he said.