Iraqis make conciliatory moves in bid to prevent war

IRAQ promised UN weapons inspectors more help yesterday, saying it was even forming its own teams to search for banned weapons.

After two days of talks with chief UN arms inspectors, held as US and British leaders warned Iraq was on course for war, Baghdad's officials were eager to appear conciliatory.

President Saddam Hussein's adviser Amir al-Saadi read a joint statement at a news conference in Baghdad with visiting inspection chiefs Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei.

It said Iraq had handed more documents to inspectors, was clarifying others and was forming its own teams to search for suspicious items. UN inspectors discovered empty chemical warheads last week which Iraq had failed to report to the UN; Iraq said it had forgotten about them.

The statement said Iraq would also encourage inspections of "private sites" an apparent reference to places like the homes of leading scientists and to "private interviews" referring to talks between UN inspectors and Iraqi technical experts without the presence of Iraqi government minders.

A cautious Blix said he was "fairly confident" Iraq would honour its pledges. "We have solved a number of practical issues, not all," he said.

"On the substantive issues relating to anthrax, VX (nerve agent) and a number of Scud missiles, we have not discussed that. That is to be discussed some time in the future."

There was no mention in the statement of taking scientists outside Iraq for interviews, as Washington has demanded on the grounds that the interviewees need protection from reprisals. The statement said Iraq would supplement a list of around 500 scientists involved in its past banned weapons programmes.

Cypriot Foreign Minister Ioannis Cassoulides yesterday said Cyprus had agreed to a request by weapons inspectors to provide facilities for interviews on the island if needed. Foreign Secretary Jack Straw of Britain, Washington's staunchest supporter on Iraq, said a November UN Security Council resolution, warning Iraq of "serious consequences" if it violates its obligations, was sufficient authorisation for war. "If there is evidence of a further material breach...(it) can only mean military action," Mr. Straw said.

Britain announced yesterday the mobilisation of some 30,000 troops to join the tens of thousands of US troops already massed in the Gulf.

The UN inspectors demanded quick answers from Iraq before they report to the Security Council on January 27 on Iraqi compliance. Teams of UN experts working in Iraq searched at least 10 more suspect sites across Iraq yesterday.