The United States ordered thousands more troops to the Gulf at the weekend, despite signs of European reluctance to rush to war with Iraq. As the military build-up went ahead, sources in London said British Prime Minister Tony Blair  would meet President Bush  soon after U.N. weapons inspectors present a key report on Iraqi arms on January 27.

The inspectors visited at least eight sites across Iraq on Sunday, hunting for banned nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, an Iraqi official said, as Baghdad again accused them of spying.

While Blair has been Bush's staunchest ally on Iraq -- and Britain's naval flagship set sail Saturday for possible war -- he has urged that the U.N. inspectors be given time to do their job.

His spokesman said Blair had told his cabinet: "January 27, whilst an important staging post, should not be regarded in any sense as a deadline."

The Washington Post, however, quoted a senior U.S. official as saying while the United States believed the January 27 report would probably not provide a definitive trigger for war, "it is a very important day (marking) the beginning of a final phase."

The Pentagon  has ordered the deployment of 62,000 additional military forces since Friday and launched an e-mail campaign urging Iraqi civilian and military leaders to turn their backs on President Saddam Hussein .

Defense officials said the United States could be ready for war by mid- to late-February with a force exceeding 150,000 soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen.

But European officials have spoken out against a rush to war on the basis of inconclusive weapons inspections, which resumed in late November after a four-year hiatus.

France, a veto-wielding member of the U.N. Security Council, has insisted on an international mandate for any military action, while Germany opposes an attack on Iraq.

Three out of four French people are opposed to France taking part in any Iraq war, a survey in the weekly Le Journal du Dimanche showed.

Spain's El Pais newspaper in a Sunday editorial called for a "contained" Iraq under permanent international vigilance.

"Amid the beating of war drums and diplomatic noise, (Prime Minister Jose Maria) Aznar's government's silence stands out ... Aznar, in the face of Blair's doubts, could be shown up for his unconditional support of Bush," it said.

NO SMOKING GUN

Washington accuses Baghdad of developing weapons of mass destruction and has threatened war unless Iraq complies with a tough new U.N disarmament resolution. Iraq denies it possesses such weapons.

U.N. inspectors have said they have not found concrete evidence of active weapons programs, "no smoking gun," but that Iraq's weapons declaration fails to back claims that it has destroyed its weapons of mass destruction.

Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan, in the government newspaper al-Jumhouriya, repeated accusations by Saddam last week that the inspectors were carrying out "intelligence" work, but said Baghdad would continue to cooperate with them.

"We know they are playing an intelligence role. The way they are conducting their inspections and the sites they are visiting have nothing to do with weapons of mass destruction," he said.

Iraq's ruling Baath Party newspaper al-Thawra accused the world community of failing to act to prevent war.

"The international community should not stand hands tied...it should shoulder its responsibility and stop American aggressive intention against Iraq," it said.

Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa warned any U.S.-led attack on Iraq would open a "Pandora's Box" of problems in the Middle East, United Arab Emirates newspapers reported Sunday.

"The region is facing unprecedented political changes," Moussa was quoted as saying. "A potential war...would open up a Pandora's Box of problems in a region already frustrated by Israeli policies against Palestinians."

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC ) was meeting in Vienna Sunday to decide how far to open the oil taps to prevent a price shock as war loomed in Iraq.

PHOTO CAPTION

Actor Martin Sheen addresses thousands of anti-war protestors in downtown Los Angeles, January 11, 2003. The Los Angeles Police Department estimated the crowd at roughly 3,000 but organizers said at least 20,000 people participated in the protest. (Jim Ruymen/Reuter