Bush wants UN inspectors back in Iraq, says Powell

US PRESIDENT George Bush wants United Nations weapons inspectors back in Iraq, but even their presence would not necessarily reassure America the threat posed by Saddam Hussein had been contained, US Secretary of State Colin Powell warned yesterday.

Mr Powell is regarded as one of the more "dove-ish" figures in the Bush administration, and his emphasis on weapons inspectors seemed to contradict US Vice-President Dick Cheney, who last week said there was no point in sending inspectors back, and instead promoted the case for military action.

Nevertheless, Mr Powell, whose president has called for "regime change" in Baghdad, did caution that inspections were unlikely to provide "the kind of assurance that we could take to the bank". However, he did acknowledge that the US had to do more to convince its allies of the case for military action against Baghdad.