THE gulf between the Anglo-American axis and hitherto close allies over the looming war in Iraq grew wider yesterday despite attempts to cool down the festering feud.

Chief United Nations inspector Hans Blix says he will tell Iraq the situation is “very dangerous”, but it can still prevent war by providing new evidence about its nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programmes.

THE UN’s nuclear watchdog yesterday said weapons inspectors needed at least six months to complete their inspections in Iraq despite impatience for them to finish.

South Korea will never tolerate its rogue neighbour’s efforts to develop nuclear weapons, President Kim Dae-jung said today.

The UN nuclear watchdog today deplored North Korea’s decision to remove seals and surveillance cameras from nuclear facilities that Washington says could yield weapons within months.

The UN’s nuclear chief will tell the Security Council that Iraq is not in material breach of the latest resolution, but that further inspections are needed to verify Saddam Hussein’s claims that he has no weapons of mass destruction, officials said today.

Staking out a tough position, UN weapons inspectors today opened talks with Iraq over a return to Baghdad by holding Saddam Hussein to his pledge of unfettered access to suspect sites.

Weapons inspectors could be back in Iraq within days of a United Nations decision to order their return, the world’s nuclear watchdog said today.