UN seeks fresh report from Blix

THE United Nations has asked for a fresh report from its chief weapons inspector Hans Blix as it considers sending teams back to Iraq.

A majority of the Security Council, including the Washington's main war ally Britain, favours resuming the UN searches for Saddam Hussein's alleged weapons of mass destruction. The US has so far resisted the return of the UN inspectors, who were withdrawn from Iraq shortly before the US-led coalition started bombing Baghdad.

A couple of people of the Unmovic staff have been approached and asked to join the American team, but they have so far declined. Washington has deployed its own teams to look for weapons, which it cited as the key reason for launching war.