Saddam Hussein issued a general amnesty today to all political prisoners to mark his perfect 100 per cent win in last week's presidential referendum.
The amnesty, which could lead to the release of thousands of prisoners, is the first time the Iraqi president has pardoned all political prisoners in his 23-year rule.
The amnesty was issued in a statement released to the Iraqi state media.
Meanwhile, key UN Security Council members are likely to resolve their deadlock over Iraq and reach a deal on a US compromise resolution in days, diplomats said.
French diplomatic sources with President Mr Jacques Chirac at a summit of French-speaking nations in Beirut said talks on a revised US draft which drops an explicit authorisation to use force against Iraq were still progressing. "An agreement is not settled yet. The five permanent members of the Security Council still have to meet.
Then we have to pursue the negotiations with all the members of the Security Council," a French diplomatic source said. "It will take a matter of days to get an agreement."
French Foreign Minister Mr Dominique de Villepin returned early to Paris from the Beirut summit, prompting speculation that real progress had finally been made at the Security Council.
"The return of Foreign Minister de Villepin to France on Friday is a sign that a deal could be near," one Western diplomatic source said.
France, which as one of the five permanent members of the Security Council has veto power, has led opposition to initial US proposals calling for the immediate use of force against Iraq if any Security Council member judges it to be impeding inspections to determine whether Baghdad was developing weapons of mass destruction.
Iraq denies it has such weapons and has agreed to let UN arms inspectors back into the country after a four-year absence