Blix says Iraq must convince world it has no weapons

3.00pm

BAGHDAD - Chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix says it is up to Iraq to convince the world that it does not have weapons of mass destruction.

Blix, who will deliver a major report by weapons inspectors to the United Nations next Monday, was speaking in Athens after a two-day visit to Baghdad.

"The Iraqis became aware (from our visit) that the world is disappointed with their (12,000-page) declaration," Blix told reporters on Monday (Tuesday NZT).

US President George W. Bush has said he will lead a "coalition of the willing" to force Iraq to give up its alleged weapons of mass destruction if Baghdad did not co-operate with UN arms inspectors.

"They (the Iraqis) have to create confidence in the world that they don't have weapons of mass destruction," Blix said.

"We don't say that they're guilty. We are not sure about it. There has not been enough evidence for us to report to the council that you can close the dossier. There remain questions to be answered."

Iraq said on Monday it would give more help to the UN inspectors, and would even form its own teams to search for any banned weapons.

But it refused to allow reconnaissance flights by U2 aircraft over its territory, saying the inspectors wanted to operate what they call "spy planes" with mainly US personnel.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell, facing strong opposition in the Security Council against any war in Iraq, warned council members not to shirk their responsibilities when they meet next week to discuss the crisis.

"We must not shrink from our duties and our responsibilities when the material comes before us next week," he said on Monday. "We cannot be shocked into impotence because we are afraid of the difficult choices that are ahead of us."

Council members France, China and Germany said Washington should not rush into a war against Iraq, with Paris hinting it could use its veto.

Blix, who will brief European Union officials on Tuesday on his trip to Baghdad, said a number of practical issues had been resolved in the talks with Iraq.

Baghdad has agreed to encourage its weapons scientists to hold interviews with UN inspectors and will search its stocks after empty chemical warheads were found last week.

Blix told a news conference in Baghdad on Monday he was "fairly confident" Iraq would honour its pledges. "We have solved a number of practical issues, not all."

"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," he said.

Blix later said in Athens that Baghdad had refused to allow the U2 reconnaissance flights over its territory.

"We've not had Iraqi agreement on flying the U2 planes that we wanted. They put up a number of conditions that were not acceptable to us," he said.

Iraq wants to accompany the planes with its own aircraft, but would be prevented from doing so if the weapons inspectors flew to the north or south of the country because of no-fly zones patrolled by US and British planes since 1991.

President Saddam Hussein's adviser Amir al-Saadi said US and British air sorties in those regions must stop for Iraq to allow the U2 flights, saying Iraq could not be responsible for the safety of those on board.

"We have reservations about allowing a spy plane to enter, although we are sure it is painted with UN colours and pilot and ground crew are all US personnel but working under UN mandate. It's still a spy plane," Saadi said.

At the United Nations, China said inspectors should be given more time to look for Iraqi weapons while Germany flatly rejected military action.

French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin hinted at a veto of a possible Security Council resolution authorising war should such a measure come to a vote.

"In the event of a second resolution...we will not associate ourselves with military intervention that is not supported by the international community," de Villepin said.

The United States got some support from Britain, which said on Monday it was mobilising some 30,000 troops to join the tens of thousands of US troops already massed in the Gulf.

London sent 43,000 troops to the region during the Gulf War in 1991 after Iraq invaded Kuwait.

Syria and Turkey said they would take part in a meeting in Turkey of foreign ministers from countries neighbouring Iraq to avoid a war, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported.

That meeting involving Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Egypt and Jordan, would be followed by another in Damascus.

The SANA report did not say a date had been set or if the other countries had approved the plan.

- REUTERS

Herald feature: Iraq