Inspectors demand access to Saddam's palaces

UN weapons inspectors insisted on the right to roam freely around Saddam Hussein’s palaces and other suspect sites as they opened talks today with the Iraqis on logistics for a possible return to Baghdad.

Chief inspector Hans Blix, leading the closed-door meetings with an Iraqi delegation, said the inspectors were operating under the assumption that they would be able to go anywhere if they redeploy to Iraq for a fresh assessment of the country’s nuclear, biological and chemical programs.