President Bush  was to make a last diplomatic push Thursday to try to persuade Iraq to disarm as Baghdad's U.N. envoy said Muslims around the world would attack Americans in the event of war. With thousands of U.S. troops pouring into the Gulf region, Bush was to meet Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi later in the day to discuss a possible deadline for disarmament. After Berlusconi, who has told Washington U.S. transport planes bound for the Gulf can use military bases in Italy, Bush will hold talks at Camp David Friday with British Prime Minister Tony Blair , his staunchest ally on Iraq.

"They will discuss the next steps to take in the face of Iraq's failure to date to disarm and comply with United Nation's resolution 1441," said White House National Security Council spokesman Sean McCormack.

In foretaste of diplomatic struggles ahead, however, chief U.N. nuclear weapons inspector Mohamed ElBaradei told the BBC he did not agree with U.S. views that Iraq was already in "material breach" of the resolution -- the legal trigger for war.

"If they decide that this is a material breach, then that is their prerogative," he said. "We are not going to say that this is a material breach unless we see a gross violation."

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer  predicted "an uptick in the tempo" of diplomacy with an increase in meetings and phone calls by Bush in the coming days and weeks.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal will come to Washington from Paris Thursday for White House talks, possibly including Bush, a senior official said.

Prince Saud, the highest ranking Saudi official to visit Washington in months, is expected to focus mostly on Iraq and U.S. military preparations for a possible war.

POWELL PRESENTATION

The diplomatic flurry comes ahead of Secretary of State Colin Powell 's appearance before the U.N. Security Council on February 5. He is expected to reveal intelligence showing Saddam has been hiding arms of mass destruction and consorting with terror groups, including Osama bin Laden 's al Qaeda network.

Iraq has denied the allegations.

Baghdad's U.N. ambassador, Mohammed Aldouri, told Reuters in an interview Wednesday that Muslims around the world would attack American facilities if the United States started a war.

"Certainly United States interests will be endangered in the Arab world and the Muslim world. I am certain of that," Aldouri said. "They cannot accept that a whole country will be attacked."

The ambassador also distributed a seven-page paper to Security Council members that contradicted arguments from chief weapons inspector Hans Blix, who Monday sharply criticized Iraq for failing to account for past chemical, biological and ballistic weapons programs.

The White House strategy showed some early signs of success as key allies came to Washington's defense in the showdown with Iraq. Canadian Foreign Minister Bill Graham said in Ottawa on Wednesday Baghdad had only a few weeks to comply fully with U.N. resolutions or face action.

"The Iraqis are on notice. They have probably till Feb. 14 before a decision will have to be made about bringing them into conformity with their international obligations," he said.

February 14 is the day when Blix and ElBaradei are scheduled to report again to the Security Council.

EUROPEANS' LETTER

And newspapers across Europe Thursday published a letter from prime ministers of eight European nations declaring solidarity with the Bush administration.

On the list were Italy, Portugal, Poland, Denmark, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Council members Britain and Spain.

Still, no member of the U.N. Security Council changed positions Wednesday, with most hoping war could be averted or delayed by allowing weapons inspectors more time.

After hours of closed-door debate, envoys said that among nations that spoke only Bulgaria and Spain supported the tough U.S.-British stance that time had run out for Iraq to cooperate actively with disarmament demands in U.N. resolutions.

Containment was not an option, Bush said on Wednesday: "The risks of doing nothing, the risk of assuming the best from Saddam Hussein  is just not a risk worth taking."

Continuing a war of words, Saddam vowed to "break the neck" of the United States.

"If they believe their illusion (and attack Iraq), by God America will be hurt. It is not in the interest of American people to suffer such harm on it (U.S.), on its reputation and on its economy around the globe," Saddam was shown on Iraqi state television as telling a group of military officers.

An Iraqi opposition source told Reuters Wednesday that the United States had moved some forces into northern Iraq and the Pentagon  declined to deny the report. The source said three U.S. transport planes landed Tuesday in the Harir airfield near the Kurdish-run town of Shaqlawa.

PHOTO CAPTION

President George W. Bush  speaks about Medicare during a visit to Grand Rapids, Michigan, January 29, 2003. Washington pledged one last diplomatic push to avoid war with Baghdad while Iraqi President Saddam Hussein  vowed to 'break the neck' of the United States if it attacked Iraq. Following President Bush's State of the Union address outlining the case for military action, the White House said the standoff with Saddam was entering a 'final phase.' (Kevin Lamarque/Reute