Washington: US Secretary of State Colin Powell has said that "time is running out" for Iraq to disarm, though the resolution to be sponsored by America and Britain in the UN Security Council will have no specific timeline.

In separate interviews to German, Russian and Arab TV stations, he said the question of war or peace is in Saddam Hussein's hands.

"There will be no war if he complies (with the Security Council demand that he disarm) or if he leaves the country tomorrow."

"The problem is, he still shows no signs of leaving the country or of complying by coming forward with the documents, with people to be interviewed, with the materials that we know he has, with the mobile biological laboratories, with all these things that have been documented" Powell said.

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Talking to Arab television, he assured that the US is no imperialist and that "it is not our goal to destroy Iraq".

The US goal, he said, is to remove a regime that "we believe has wasted the people's treasure on weapons of mass destruction".

"Once the regime has been eliminated, there will be institutions that remain in place."

PTI