The UN weapons inspector, Mr Richard Butler, yesterday said he regretted the "fuss" that had been made about his wrongly interpreted remark that President Saddam Hussein of Iraq could wipe out Tel Aviv.

Mr Butler, speaking after talks with the German Foreign Minister, Mr Klaus Kinkel, said his comments on Mr Saddam's biological warfare capabilities had been misinterpreted by the New York Times. He told a news conference that the paper had corrected its story and said he hoped that would end the affair.

Russia, a key mediator with Iraq, sharply criticised Mr Butler on Thursday for the reported comment that Baghdad had enough biological material like anthrax or botulin to "blow away Tel Aviv".

"I regret that such a fuss has been made of this," said the Australian diplomat, holding up a faxed copy of the New York Times's corrected story.

"I was not saying that I knew all the secrets of Iraq's logistical capabilities," Mr Butler said. He said he had been referring to the existence of special warheads that UN inspectors had been unable to trace. These warheads could carry biological material.

"It is theoretically possible that they could pose a threat to all kinds of places around Iraq," Mr Butler said.

Iraq fired Scud missiles at Israel and Saudi Arabia during the 1991 Gulf War after which the UN imposed sanctions and disarmament provisions on Baghdad.

He declined to speculate on what kind of action Western powers should take to force President Saddam to allow his inspectors unrestricted access to sites of suspected weapons of mass destruction.

Mr Kinkel said he did not rule out military action if current US-led diplomatic efforts failed.