US Ambassador to the UN, Mr JohnNegroponte has that the weapons inspectors report to the UNSecurity Council on Iraqi disarmament had provided no evidenceBaghdad would disarm in line with council demands.
"Unfortunately, nothing we have heard today gives us hopethat Iraq intends to fully comply with Resolution 1441 or anyof the 16 resolutions that preceded it over the last 12 years,"Mr Negroponte said after hearing reports from chief UN weaponsinspectors Dr Hans Blix and Mr Mohamed ElBaradei.
Inspections alone cannot achieve disarmament "when acountry has an active program of denial and deception as is thecase with Iraq," Mr Negroponte said.
Meanwhile, Britain agreed with the Germanpresidency of the UN Security Council that a new report is needed byweapons inspectors to the council on February 14th, British ambassadorMr Jeremy Greenstock said today.
Mr Greenstock said that Britain, which has sent troops to the Gulfto prepare for a possible war alongside the United States, wouldwelcome the new report to hear more details on the work of UNinspectors.
He said today's report to the council by the two maininspectors had left "a catalogue of unresolved questions."Mr Greenstock added: "This is not going to be resolved peacefullythrough the UN process unless we have 100 percent cooperation fromIraq." AFP