The American defence secretary and the secretary of state are to take President George W Bush's case for action against Iraq to the US Congress on Thursday.

Donald Rumsfeld and Colin Powell will hold a series of meetings with senior American politicians, designed to pave the way for a congressional resolution authorising the president to use force against Saddam Hussein.

Bush: Congressional resolution will send a vital message

Mr Bush is also sending a draft wording of the resolution to Congress.

At the United Nations, discussions are continuing about a possible new resolution on the scope of weapons inspections in Iraq.

Baghdad has pledged to keep up the diplomatic momentum towards getting inspectors back into the country.

Speaking after a meeting with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Foreign Minister Naji Sabri said Iraq would allow the inspectors to work quickly and effectively.

In return he said he hoped to see an end to what he described as the brutal regime of sanctions killing its people.

Co-operation urged

Mr Bush has dismissed Iraq's promises of co-operation as a ploy.

He said Saddam had made similar offers in the past, but has always refused unfettered access to the inspectors.

(Saddam Hussein) is not going to fool anybody

President Bush

But as the US appeared to move closer to a military option, Mr Annan urged Iraq to co-operate with the inspectors.

In a meeting attended by Hans Blix, the chairman of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission, Mr Annan told Mr Sabri he hoped the process of disarming of weapons of mass destruction could be completed as soon as possible.

And Shashi Tharoor, Mr Annan's special adviser, told the BBC that Mr Blix had already held meetings with low-level Iraqi officials and that progress was being made towards gaining re-admission.

Signal

After his talks with senior members of the House of Representatives and Senate, President Bush said a congressional resolution would send a vital message.

"It's an important signal for the world to see that this country is united in our resolve to deal with threats that we face," he said.

B2s bombers are being deployed in the Indian ocean

Democratic Party leaders say they will back the resolution, but have warned the president that some Democrats might vote against.

The BBC's Justin Webb in Washington says the White House needs to keep the "no" camp as small as possible if the vote is to be used as a proof to the world of American resolve.

Council split

Baghdad's agreement to allow arms inspectors to return "without conditions" appears to have split the UN Security Council.

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Where key nations stand on Iraq

The US is continuing to push for a new resolution backed up by the threat of military action - a position supported by the UK, which has expressed scepticism about the Iraqi offer.

However Russia said no new resolution was necessary, and urged the "speedy return" of inspectors to Iraq.

Despite the diplomatic moves, the US is continuing to shift military hardware close to Iraq, apparently in preparation for a possible strike.