Experienced diplomat walking a dangerous tightrope

HANS BLIX, the chief UN weapons inspector, stands between war and peace in Iraq. It is his task to assess whether Saddam Hussein has complied with the disarmament demands of the international community.

The amiable 74-year-old former Swedish foreign minister is seen by some as having an almost impossible role. He has to walk a fine line between the hawkishness of Washington and the traditional trickery of Saddam Hussein's regime.

At the end of it he could be blamed for helping unleash a terrible war, or assisting a tyrant's survival. But he has approached his job calmly in keeping with his diplomatic background.