Washington: US President George W Bush on September 19 sought Congressional authority to use military force against Iraq and threatened that the US would go it alone to topple Saddam Hussein if it did not back the US.

"If you want to keep the peace," he aid, "you have got to have the authorisation to use force. This is a chance for Congress to indicate support, a chance for Congress to say we support the administration's ability to keep the peace; that is what this is all about."

"The UN Security Council," Bush said, "must work with the United States and other concerned parties to send a clear message that we expect Saddam to disarm. And if the UN Security Council won't deal with the problem, the United States and some of our friends will."

Bush declined to name any of the allies he is counting on for support, saying only that "time will tell".

Bush spoke to journalists in the Oval Office after meeting with Secretary of State Colin Powell for an update on his uphill task to draft a UN Security Council resolution against Iraq that could overcome strong reservations by Russia and France, who have veto power in the Security Council.

PTI