US President George W. Bush on Tuesday defended his Iraqi war decision by calling former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein "a threat" seeking to possess weapons of mass destruction.

"I know that Saddam Hussein was a threat. He was a threat to the neighborhood, he was a threat to the people of Iraq, he harbored terrorists," Bush told reporters at a briefing with Iceland's Prime Minister David Oddsson.

"Saddam Hussein had the intent, he had the capability" to produce weapons of mass destruction, Bush claimed.

"The world is better off without Saddam Hussein in power. And the world will be more peaceful when this Iraqi government, under Prime Minister (Iyad) Allawi, emerges and there are elections. Andthat's what we are seeing," Bush said.

Bush has repeatedly claimed that the Saddam regime possessed weapons of mass destruction, a major excuse for Bush's decision togo to war with Iraq.

However, the United States has so far failed to find any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

Source: Xinhua