In Baghdad, Saddam was unbowed. "When the enemy starts a large-scale battle, he must realize that the battle between us will be open wherever there is sky, land and water in the entire world," he told his military commanders in remarks carried by the official Iraqi news agency.
Saddam also denied his nation has chemical weapons, as alleged.
There were unambiguous signs that war could occur within a short period of time.
The State Department on Sunday night ordered nonessential personnel and all family members to leave Israel, Kuwait and Syria in a precautionary move. The departure order updates an advisory last month that authorized those people to leave voluntarily.
Greece and China began evacuating staff in Iraq yesterday.
Bush said war could be averted if Saddam were to leave the country. There was no indication that would happen, however.
At their summit, Bush, Blair, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar and Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Manuel Durao Barroso issued a formal statement that said "any military presence, should it be necessary, will be temporary ... Our commitment to support the people of Iraq will be for a long time."
Prime Minister Tony Blair called an emergency Cabinet meeting on the crisis in Iraq yesterday night, his office said.
The prime minister has been struggling to contain a rebellion within his governing Labor Party by lawmakers opposed to military action that lacks UN backing. One Cabinet minister -- International Development Secretary Clare Short -- has threatened to resign and the press has reported other ministers may be preparing to do the same.
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