President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair are meeting at the White House for talks on efforts to disarm Iraq.
The meeting brings together Mr. Bush and his staunchest ally in the push to force Baghdad to give up its suspected weapons of mass destruction.
Both leaders have vowed to take military action if Iraqi President Saddam Hussein defies a United Nations disarmament resolution passed late last year. The U-N decree warns of unspecified consequences if Baghdad fails to disarm.
Hours before the White House meeting, the British leader told the Cable News Network he believes any military action must be approved by the United Nations in a second resolution. He also said the timing of military action should be governed by an international determination that Iraq is not cooperating with U-N weapons inspectors.
The Bush administration said earlier this week that a new U-N Security Council resolution on Iraq would be "desirable but not mandatory" before taking action to force Iraq to disarm.
Earlier this week, Mr. Blair and seven other European leaders who back U-S efforts to disarm Iraq, published a joint declaration of solidarity with the United States. The declaration says Iraqi President Saddam Hussein must not be allowed to threaten world security.