Iraq protested that the UN Security Council was ignoring its complaints over UN weapons inspectors yesterday as Washington warned it was losing patience over Baghdad's banning of a US-led arms team.
The team at the centre of the dispute, led American, Mr Scott Ritter, did not go out on inspections yesterday for the third day in a row, but other UN experts were going about their work as usual, UN officials said.
Iraq said Wednesday's Security Council declaration "deploring" the obstruction of Mr Ritter's team had ignored its "legitimate demands". It accused the US of preparing for an attack by spreading allegations it was testing weapons on human guinea pigs.
"The Security Council's declaration sets out the same accusations hostile to Iraq and yet ignores its legitimate demands," said a senior member of the ruling Ba'ath party, Mr Saad Kassem Hammudi.
The 15-member Security Council described Iraq's failure to provide full and total access to weapons inspectors as "unacceptable and a clear violation" of UN resolutions.
Iraq also rejected allegations being investigated by the UN Special Commission (UNSCOM) on disarming Iraq that it had used prisoners as human guinea pigs to test biological and chemical weapons. "The Americans are seeking, with a campaign of lies, to prepare the ground for an attack," said Mr Hammudi.
But the US administration again expressed concern at the allegations yesterday. "We've heard these reports and we think it's essential that the UN investigate," the US ambassador to the UN, Mr Bill Richardson, said.
Mr Hammudi complained the UN had still done nothing about Iraq's complaints that Britain and the US, the two Security Council members most opposed to the lifting of UN sanctions, dominate weapons inspection teams.
"We are within our rights to expect the teams of disarmament inspectors to submit objective reports and to expect the United Nations to play its role in restoring the balance of these teams," Mr Hammudi said.
Baghdad has barred Mr Ritter's team from carrying out searches of Iraqi sites since Tuesday by failing to provide "minders" to accompany them.
Mr Ritter was waiting for instructions yesterday before attempting to embark on more missions.
Moscow offered a way out of the latest standoff yesterday with an offer to provide UNSCOM with Russian surveillance planes to work alongside US U-2 spy planes in monitoring Iraq's disarmament.
The offer was made by the Russian Defence Minister, Mr Igor Sergeyev, at a press conference in Paris with his French counterpart, Mr Alain Richard.
The offer came amid reports that UN Special Commission (UNSCOM) chairman, Mr Richard Butler, will meet French officials today in Paris on his way to Baghdad.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman, Ms Anne Gazeau-Secret, said the possibility of sending French experts "at the technical and political level" to New York and to Baghdad would be discussed during Mr Butler's talks.
China said that an Americanled UN arms team which Iraq has prevented from working should include members from more countries.
Foreign Ministry spokesman, Mr Shen Guofang, said there should be more co-operation between the UN and Baghdad. China saw a need for changes in the make-up of the UN's inspection team to make it more representative, Mr Shen told a news briefing.