Washington: With the UN Security Council deadlocked over a new resolution seeking backing for strikes on Iraq, US Secretary of State Colin Powell on March 16 said war can be averted if Saddam Hussein, his sons and top leaders leave the country and a responsible leadership takes over.

The new leadership would get rid of the weapons of mass destruction and ensure a better life for the people of Iraq, Powell said appearing on Fox News TV, a day after hundreds of thousands of people marched in Washington against a war with Iraq.

While asking the country to wait for the statement US President George W Bush and the Prime Ministers of Britain and Spain will be issuing from the Azores, Powell said, "I think the moment of truth is arriving with respect to diplomacy and what comes next."

Saying that the resolution already passed by the Security Council already warns Iraq of "serious consequences", meaning war, if the weapons of mass destruction are not destroyed, Powell said that when it comes to the use of military force, very often the UN is not the organisation of choice.

"We have demonstrated over the years that there are different alternatives in different situations," Powell said citing the example of Kosovo when the previous administration did not ask for a vote in the Security Council because Russia was certain to veto the resolution and it then used force with a coalition of the willing to deal with the situation.

PTI