Russia today started a peace mission in Baghdad as UN experts hunted for banned weapons inside President Saddam Hussein's main palace.
The peace move begins as chief UN weapons inspector Mr Hans Blix made clear he would tell Iraqi officials they needed to submit new evidence on any weapons of mass destruction or face possible war.
"We have to seize any chance to achieve and find a diplomatic and peaceful solution," said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Saltanov, whose country has kept closer ties than many with Iraq and is one of the UN Security Council's five veto-wielding members. He landed in Baghdad last night.
Russia opposes military action against Iraq without a new UN mandate, but the United States and Britain have reserved the right to wage their own war if the UN fails to force Baghdad to surrender any weapons of mass destruction.
It was unclear whether Saddam was at his palace office when inspectors drove into the compound. The UN team complained of having to wait for keys to safes during their visit.
Mr Blix and Mr Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy, will go to Iraq on Sunday and Monday for the first time since inspections resumed on November 27th and ahead of a key report they will deliver to the Security Council on January 27th.
"They [the Iraqis] have provided prompt access, been very co-operative in terms of logistics. But they need to do a good deal more to provide evidence if we are to avoid any worse development," Mr Blix said.