HIGHLIGHTS: U.S. Senate Opens 2-Day Hearings on Assessing the Iraqi Threat||Experts Warn Iraqi Military Capabilities Cannot Be Dismissed||France & Russia Required on Board if Military Action Against Iraq Were to succeed||STORY: Top Republican and Democrat lawmakers as well as regional experts cautioned President George W. Bush against hastily and unilaterally launching a war to remove Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

"We need to weigh the risks of action versus the risks of inaction," said Senator Joseph Biden, Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, at the start of two days of hearings on assessing the Iraqi threat.

"We must estimate, soberly, the human and economic cost of war plans and post-war plans," agreed Republican Senator Dick Lugar of the same panel. "This is a time for all of us to think through the cost and the dangers."

Bush has stated his determination to remove Saddam Hussein from power, insisting that the Iraqi president's pursuit of weapons of mass destruction poses a threat to the United States and its allies.

But based on conversations with administration officials, Biden "believes there will be no 'October surprise' attack on Iraq" the senator's spokesperson Lynne Weil told a news agency.

"He is aware that the administration wants to see the regime in Iraq changed, but he said he would be very surprised if the president had made a decision on how to attempt that change," she added.

Lawmakers have insisted that Bush consult with Congress and clearly outline his military plan before pursuing his objective and warned that the president had to persuade the American people and US allies, particularly those in the region, to back the initiative.

Speaking to the committee, defence and military expert Anthony Cordesman also warned the US administration not to underestimate Iraqi military forces.

"It is very dangerous to make quick, sweeping generalization of the military capability of Iraq," he said. "This is not a force that can be dismissed."

Biden also emphasized the importance of considering what US responsibilities would be in the region if Washington toppled Hussein.

"In many ways the most critical question related to our responsibilities to the day after," he said. "In Afghanistan, the war was prosecuted exceptionally well, but the follow-through commitment to Afghanistan's security and reconstruction has, in my judgment, fallen short."

The former head of the United Nations arms inspection team in Iraq (UNSCOM), Richard Butler defended the current policy of containment against the Iraqi regime, but said the only way it would be more successful would be if Russia agreed to cooperate with the United States.

"If you can get Russia (and France) to work seriously with us in Baghdad to make very clear to the Iraqis that this is it, you do some serious arms control or you are toast, then we might have a chance," he said.

Russia has called for a peaceful settlement of the crisis over UN weapons inspections in Iraq and urged Baghdad to abide by UN resolutions to settle the issue.

Butler warned, however, that containment had failed to stop Saddam from working hard on developing and increasing its weapons of mass destruction capability.

But he added that it was not likely that he would provide those same weapons to non-Iraqi terrorist groups.

"I suspect that, especially given his psychology and aspirations, Saddam would be reluctant to share what he believes to be an indelible source of his own power," Butler said.

PHOTO CAPTION

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, (C) shares a laugh with Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, (L) and Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) before testifying at a hearing on the Moscow Treaty and strategic offensive reductions on Capitol Hill, July 9, 2002. The committee is reviewing details of the Moscow Treaty. REUTERS/Hyungwon Kang
- Jul 09 11:59 AM ET