Iraq repeats its offer that Bush can refuse

Iraq said again today it was ready to discuss the return of UN weapons inspectors, but only in a broader context of ending sanctions and restoring Iraqi sovereignty over all its territory.

The offer - repeating a stance that UN chief Kofi Annan has rejected in the past - came at the Earth Summit in Johannesburg that has seen several world leaders sharply criticise US threats to attack Iraq.

But British Prime Minister Tony Blair voiced support for Washington, saying Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein poses a threat to the world and that Britain and other nations must help the United States deal with him.

“This is not just an issue for the US. It is an issue for Britain and the wider world. America should not have to face this issue alone,” Mr Blair said in his Durham constituency.

Other European allies have expressed reservations about any US attack to oust Saddam. Russia said it would veto any measure for military action against Baghdad that comes up before the UN Security Council.

“We hope that this question will not be placed to the Security Council, thereby necessitating the veto of Russia,” said Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said after meeting his Iraqi counterpart, Naji Sabri, in Moscow.

But Ivanov also pressed Baghdad to allow the return of UN weapons inspectors, which he said was a “necessary condition” for lifting sanctions.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell was en route to the summit today, where he was expected to face criticism from world leaders over threats by the administration to attack Iraq.

President George Bush has said he aims to overthrow Saddam but that it has not yet decided what action to take.

Annan today met Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz, urging him to comply with Security Council resolutions, which call for the unconditional return of inspectors.

Resuming inspections “in turn will lead to a comprehensive solution, including the lifting of sanctions,” Annan’s office said.

But Aziz repeated a previous Iraqi position that an agreement to bring back the inspectors must also deal with other issues, including lifting sanctions, restoring Iraqi sovereignty in the north and south of the country, and ending US threats.

“If you want to find a solution, you have to find a solution for all these matters, not only pick up one certain aspect of it,” Aziz said after the meeting. “We are ready to find such a solution.”

Aziz, the urbane voice and face of Iraq during the Gulf War, accused Washington of being uninterested in dialogue over the weapons issue, which he said the United States was using as an excuse for military action.

“In the end, they will use whatever pretext remains in their hands to attack us,” he said. “We are preparing ourselves to defend our country.”

Aziz was also meeting Nelson Mandela 24 hours after the revered former South African president issued a stinging criticism of Washington, saying he was “appalled” by US threats of military action that he said would cause chaos.

Saddam Hussein has dispatched Aziz and other top Iraqi officials around the world to try to rally support for Baghdad against the UN threats.

Foreign Minister Sabri is now in Cairo for a gathering of Arab foreign ministers that is due to begin on Wednesday and is expected to deal with the Iraq crisis as well as Israeli-Palestinian violence.

Arab diplomats have said Baghdad hopes to win a strong voice of support from the Arab League gathering - though Sabri said his delegation would not make any direct requests to the foreign ministers. Instead, Iraq “will participate in discussing the threats against all the Arab nations".

All Arab publicly countries oppose a US strike on Iraq, but some Arab governments want to urge Iraq to allow the return of weapons inspectors.