Saddam Hussein has placed Iraq on a war footing, placing his son and three trusted lieutenants in charge of four military regions to defend against a US-led invasion.

Iraq today invited chief UN weapons inspectors Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei to visit Baghdad at the “earliest suitable date” to speed up joint cooperation on outstanding disarmament issues, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

NORTH of Baghdad yesterday, drivers climbed onto yellow bulldozers to pulverise missiles and warheads. To the south, workers donned welding gear and used cutting torches to dismember giant metal casting chambers.

Iraq today said it will submit a proposal to UN weapons inspectors for verifying the destruction of its deadly biological and chemical weapons.

FRANCE said last night it was opposed to a second UN resolution which could trigger war on Iraq and criticised America and Britain’s plans to use force against Saddam Hussein.

IRAQ last night indicated it could suspend its missile destruction if the US presses ahead with its war plans.

Iraq said it would destroy four Al Samoud 2 missiles today, as ordered by UN weapons inspectors.

Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein says he would rather die than leave his country, dismissing suggestions by US and Arab leaders that he could go into exile to avoid war.

Saddam Hussein may be having second thoughts about his initial defiance of UN orders to destroy Iraq’s Al Samoud 2 missiles.

UN chief weapons inspector Hans Blix yesterday said Iraq must begin destroying its Al-Samoud missiles by Saturday, rejecting Baghdad’s bid for more time to hold technical talks.

Chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix has ordered Iraq to destroy dozens of its missiles with ranges that violate UN limits, and gave Baghdad a March 1 deadline to begin the demolition.

The UN’s chief weapons inspectors have said they sense a “good beginning” and a changed “positive attitude” in Baghdad toward their job of ensuring Iraq is free of banned arms.

A senior Iraqi official claims that an Iraqi weapons expert has agreed to a private interview with UN arms inspectors - a sign of progress in deadlock over weapons inspections.

A SENIOR Iraqi official said last night that an Iraqi weapons’ expert had submitted to a private interview with UN arms inspectors – a sign of progress in deadlock over weapons inspections.

The chief UN arms inspectors arrived in Baghdad today for urgent talks with Iraqi officials, bearing a long list of questions about Iraq’s weapons programmes and a demand for more “active co-operation” from Saddam Hussein’s government.

IRAQ’S arms dossier outlines its secret bids to build a nuclear weapon in the past and may list countries and companies that helped it, the table of contents suggests.

Weapons inspectors in New York and Vienna began combing through Iraq’s massive dossier detailing its chemical, biological and nuclear programmes today, to determine whether Baghdad is complying with United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Copies of a massive Iraqi document detailing the country’s chemical, biological and nuclear activities were today flown out of Baghdad for analysis by experts at the United Nations and International Atomic Energy Agency.