IRAQI officials have promised to meet next month’s deadline for disclosing information about banned weapons as serious differences emerged between the UN and Washington over what constitutes Iraqi violations of the Security resolution.

THE US must decide whether the Iraqi people would benefit from any move to topple Saddam Hussein, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said yesterday.

Saddam Hussein today challenged British Prime Minister Tony Blair to prove Iraq is developing weapons of mass destruction, his spokesman saying it was ready to receive ‘‘right now’’ any British team in the country.

Iraq has attacked the UK for its close partnership with the US in the attacks on the Taliban.