New chapter of inspections in Iraq ‘on the way’

UN arms inspectors gathered in Cyprus to relaunch the search in Iraq for weapons of mass destruction today, okvowing not to take no for an answer if they wanted to inspect a site.

Leaders of the first arms inspectors since the last ones left in 1998 complaining that President Saddam Hussein would not cooperate, said Iraq’s fate - lifting of sanctions or war - depended on its hiding nothing.

Just hours before chief weapons inspector Hans Blix touched down at the main airport in Cyprus yesterday, US and British warplanes bombed an air defence system in northern Iraq after Iraqi forces fired at the jets in a no-fly zone, the US military said.