As the UN Security Council, under intense pressure from both hawks and doves, began discussing a US-British-Spanish draft resolution that lays the groundwork for war against Iraq, US President George W. Bush predicted Iraq would destroy its Al-Samoud 2 rockets, but said they were the tip of the iceberg.

“The only question at hand is total, complete disarmament, which he (Iraqi President Saddam Hussein) is refusing to do,” Bush said.

Iraq, threatened with war if it does not fully disarm, said it would respond to the UN order to destroy its Al-Samoud missiles within two days, without hinting at its response. Earlier this week, Saddam denied in an interview with a US TV network that the rockets were in violation of UN limits.

An Iraqi official said Baghdad was “seriously and genuinely” studying a UN request that it destroy the missiles and would reply in a letter to the Security Council within the next two days.

UN arms inspectors say the Al-Samoud 2 rockets violate the 93-mile (150-km) range limit imposed after the 1991 Gulf War.

The Iraq statement came shortly before the Security Council opened discussions on a US-British-Spanish draft resolution that said Saddam had “failed” to meet disarmament demands, diplomatic language that could trigger war.

It also came a day after chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix issued his harshest criticism of Baghdad in a month, saying while there was evidence of increased activity by Iraq it was still not clear Saddam had made a “fundamental decision” to disarm.

The British Broadcasting Corporation said it had obtained a draft copy of Blix’s next report and quoted him as saying: “The results in terms of disarmament have been very limited so far.”

France, one of the most vocal opponents of a war, said the majority of UN Security Council members do not believe that the time for war is ripe. the French ambassador to the United Nations said Thursday. “This is a very defining moment for the Security Council,” Ambassador Jean-Marc de La Sabliere said after more than three hours of consultations on the draft resolution.

Late on Wednesday, President George W. Bush said toppling Saddam Hussein would sow seeds of democracy and peace in the Middle East. And he promised American troops will not stay in Iraq for longer than necessary.

Changing the leadership in Baghdad could “set in motion progress toward a truly democratic Palestinian state,” Bush said. “The passing of Saddam Hussein’s regime will deprive terrorist networks of a wealthy patron that pays for terrorist training and offers rewards to families of suicide bombers,” he said. “And other regimes will be given a clear warning that support for terror will not be tolerated.”