Washington: US President George W Bush on September 18 said that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was becoming an increasing "threat to world peace".

"We'll remind the world that, by defying resolutions, he's become more and more of a threat to world peace," Bush told reporters. He said that the world "must rise up and deal with this threat, and that's what we expect the Security Council to do".

"I think reasonable people understand that this man is unreasonable," Bush said, adding that Iraq's offer to allow weapons inspectors into the country was a ploy to hold off military action.

Bush has called on the UN Security Council to pass a new resolution demanding that Iraq disarm and allow weapons inspectors to resume their work without conditions.

Iraq offered to readmit UN weapons inspectors after a four-year hiatus in a letter presented on September 16 to the United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan.

But Bush and US lawmakers have been sceptical about Iraq's sincerity, with the President calling the move a "ploy".

"It's his latest ploy, his latest attempt not to be held accountable for defying the United Nations," Bush said.

"He's not going to fool anybody. We've seen him before," he said.

"I'm convinced the world understands the ploy," Bush said.

"Dozens of times he has told the world, 'Oh, I will comply,' and he never does," he said.

Meanwhile, describing Saddam as a "brute", former US President George Bush (Bush senior) has said that he has "nothing but hatred" for him and at the same time has "no regrets" the coalition forces during the 1991 Gulf War did not go to Baghdad to get him.

"I hate Saddam Hussein," Bush said. "I don't hate a lot of people. I don't hate easily, but I think he's, as I say, his word is no good and he's a brute. He's used poison gas on his own people. So, there's nothing redeeming about this man."

"I have nothing but hatred in my heart for him. But he's got a lot of problems, but immortality isn't one of them. As for what the country should do with the Iraqi leader now, he said, "That's the problem facing the president of the United States of America, not me," he told CNN.