War With Iraq Less Likely, Briton Says

LONDON — British Foreign Minister Jack Straw said Monday that war with Saddam Hussein has become less likely but warned that Iraq and other nations such as North Korea pose a continuing threat to peace.

Weekend reports quoted an unidentified government minister as saying the chance of war with Iraq had slipped from 60-40 to 40-60. In an interview with the BBC, Straw said that was “reasonably accurate” but that nothing specific had prompted the shift.

In a speech to British ambassadors Monday, Straw said that terrorists and states such as Iraq and North Korea could collude to wreak havoc.

“The most likely sources of technology and know-how for ... terrorist organizations are rogue regimes,” he said. “North Korea typifies the unpredictable nature of the threats we face.”