UN weapons inspectors will begin returning to Iraq on Monday for the first time in four years, following Baghdad's reluctant decision yesterday to accept the UN Security Council's tough new resolution on disarmament, writes Conor O'Clery, North America Editor
Iraq's UN ambassador, Mr Mohammed al-Douri, yesterday delivered a letter to the UN accepting the resolution "without conditions", but insisting that Iraq has no weapons of mass destruction.
"The letter says that Iraq will deal with Security Council resolution 1441 despite its bad contents," Mr al-Douri said.
"The issue is not the acceptance but the performance on the ground," UN Secretary General Mr Kofi Anan said yesterday afternoon after meeting President Bush at the White House. "I urge the Iraqis to co-operate with them [the inspectors] and that is the real test."
UN chief weapons inspector Dr Hans Blix will lead an advance party to Baghdad on Monday to prepare for the return of inspectors. Iraq has until December 7th to compile a full declaration of all aspects of its chemical, biological and nuclear weapons programmes.
The Iraqi letter, signed by Foreign Minister Mr Naji Sabri, claimed Baghdad was not developing weapons of mass destruction "whether nuclear, chemical or biological as claimed by evil people". Mr Bush emphasised that the US would not tolerate anything other than complete co-operation from Iraq. "There is no more time. There is a zero tolerance policy now," he told reporters in the White House. "We will not tolerate any extension, denial or deceit, period."
He added that the days of negotiations with Saddam Hussein were long gone, and so were the days of deceit and denial. "If he chooses not to disarm, we will disarm him \ we will have a coalition of the willing with us." Iraqi television showed a relaxed Iraqi President meeting his top aides before announcing his acceptance of the resolution. News of Tuesday's rejection of the resolution by the Iraqi Parliament - dismissed in Washington as political theatre - had not been officially broadcast.
The nine-page letter accused members of the Security Council, who approved the resolution by a 15-0 vote last Friday, of succumbing to American pressure exerted for its own ends and to help Israel, referred to as the "Zionist Entity".
It said: "The lies and manipulations of the American administration and the British government will be exposed, while the world will see how truthful and adequate the Iraqis are in what they say and do." The Iraqi government hoped it could "drive away the cawing of the crows of evil that daily raid its land, kill Iraqis and destroy their property by their bombs."
White House spokesman Mr Scott McClellan said there "was never a question of accepting or rejecting the resolution. The UN resolution is binding on Iraq, and the Iraqi regime. Saddam Hussein had no choice but to accept the resolution."