HIGHLIGHTS: Blair Refuses to Promise to Seek Parliament's Approval for Any Strikes Against Iraq||British Legislators Complain of Inadequate Consultation Before Joining U.S.-led Campaign Against Afghanistan||Press Criticizes Blair's Government Use of "spin control" on Controversial Issues|| STORY: Facing strong domestic opposition to possible military action against Iraq, Prime Minister Tony Blair stressed Thursday that a decision on an attack was not imminent. But he refused to promise to seek Parliament's approval for any strikes.

Many Britons, including dozens of lawmakers from Blair's ruling Labor Party, are wary of joining in U.S. plans for possible military action against Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

In the House of Commons on Wednesday, legislators asked the prime minister to promise to recall Parliament from its current summer break if he plans to commit British forces to action in Iraq.

Traditionally, decisions about war and military action are taken by the prime minister after consultation with the Cabinet, and Parliament is usually given a chance to debate, if not to vote. Many lawmakers complained that they were not adequately consulted before Britain joined the U.S.-led campaign against Afghanistan last fall.

Blair, a strong U.S. ally, has said he believes Saddam is seeking to develop nuclear weapons, in addition to his chemical and biological ones. But the prime minister would not say Thursday how close he believed Iraq was to acquiring them. "We don't want to go down the speculative route too far," he said.

The prime minister repeated demands for Saddam to readmit U.N. weapons inspectors - "unconditionally, any time, anywhere, any place" - to stave off a military attack.

Thursday marked the second in a series of regular televised news conferences by Blair at No. 10 Downing St.

Before the first, on June 20, he and other British prime ministers had generally relied on closed-door briefings with a select group of reporters - known as "the lobby" - to release their daily messages to the news media.

Blair introduced the White House-style briefings in an apparent effort to improve his strained relations with the British press, which has sharply criticized him his government's use of "spin control" on controversial issues.

During the 90-minute news conference Thursday, Blair fielded questions on a wide range of foreign and domestic policy issues.

PHOTO CAPTION

Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair during his second televised news conference inside No.10 Downing Street in London Thursday, July 25, 2002. (AP Photo/David Crump, Poo