UN inspectors prepare to assemble team

The United Nations’ top two weapons inspectors arrived in Cyprus on today to assemble their team for the historic journey back to Iraq for a fresh assessment of Saddam Hussein’s suspected clandestine arms programme.

Chief UN inspector Hans Blix, who will lead the overall mission, and Mohamed ElBaradei, overseeing the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency’s search for nuclear arms, flew by commercial jet from Vienna, Austria, where other team members have been arriving and where the inspection operation will be based.