Nuclear report 'backs Iraq claims'

IRAQ'S nuclear arms dossier appears to echo Saddam Hussein's claims that his country poses no atomic threat, but only an exhaustive analysis and new inspections can judge whether the declaration is truthful, the UN nuclear agency said yesterday.

"At first glance, it appears the declaration is consistent with Iraq's statement that it has no nuclear weapons and that it has no nuclear weapons material or associated programs," said Melissa Fleming, a spokeswoman for the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The Vienna-based IAEA will rely on fresh inspections in Iraq and a thorough check of Iraq's claims against the agency's vast database to determine whether Saddam is hiding anything, she said.