The refusal of the regime in Baghdad to comply with the will of the international community makes the use of force in disarming Iraq inevitable, Bulgaria's Prime Minister Saxe-Coburg said in his address to the nation on Wednesday hours before the deadline set by US President Bush Iraqi leader Hussein to go into exile or face war.

"The peaceful solution to the crisis was entirely in the hands of Saddam Hussein. The conclusion is: Iraq did not wish to disarm and chose on its own "the serious consequences" of its behavior. The weapons of mass destruction that Baghdad possesses are a threat to peace and security. The international community must categorically oppose to this threat," Saxe-Coburg said.

He assured that the risk of refugees influx in Bulgaria is not as big as broadly considered. "(This risk) must not be exaggerated because we are not a neighboring country with Iraq," Saxe-Coburg said and added that Bulgaria will help only in line with its capacities.

The prime minister recalled Bulgaria's efforts to find peaceful solution to the crisis. "We used all diplomatic channels and contacts in the UN security Council, the European Union, NATO and in bilateral plan to achieve the goal that unites the international community: eliminating the danger for the international peace and security such as the dictatorship in Baghdad is," Saxe-Coburg said.

He added that Bulgaria did its best to bring closer the positions of Germany, France and Russia with those of United States, Great Britain and Spain.

"The Iraqi crisis, no matter how dramatic it is, should not harm the unity that exists between Europe and the United States," the prime minister said.