UK cool on Iraq arms offer

Saddam Hussein "does not deliver", says the Foreign Office

Saddam Hussein does not deliver on his promises, the UK Government has said in response to Iraq's offer of talks on readmitting weapons inspectors to the country.

The cool reaction came after Iraq invited the United Nations' chief weapons inspector to Baghdad for talks about restarting arms checks.

A time limit should be put to test whether this is a serious offer or not

Donald Anderson
Foreign affairs select committee

The Foreign Office said Iraq's obligations were unchanged - it must allow "unfettered access for UN weapons inspectors - any time, any place, anywhere".

The inspection offer came a day after King Abdullah of Jordan said he believed UK Prime Minister Tony Blair had "tremendous concerns" about the prospect of war against Iraq.

Mr Blair has argued that concerns that Iraq is building up weapons of mass destruction cannot be ignored, but insists no decisions on military action have been taken.

'Playing games'

UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in 1998 and have not since been allowed back into the country.

On Friday, Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri, said UN chief weapons inspector Hans Blix was welcome in Iraq for "technical talks" with a view to resuming inspections.

The UK response to the offer came ahead of any reaction from the United Nations or US.

King Abdullah met Blair on his way to Washington

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "Saddam has a long history of playing games. As his track record shows, he does not deliver.

"Iraq remains in breach of at least 23 of 27 separate obligations placed on it by the United Nations Security Council."

A senior Labour MP argued a time limit should be set to test whether Iraq is serious about letting arms inspectors start work again.

Buying time?

Donald Anderson, chairman of the foreign affairs select committee, told BBC News Online the offer should be viewed with scepticism but nevertheless be fully examined.

US pressure might have forced Iraq to make the latest move, suggested Mr Anderson.

Peter Kilfoyle thinks diplomacy can work

"They may be making this offer to buy time or get world opinion on their side, nevertheless it should be explored," he said.

The MP predicted the offer would make little difference to the debate in America over possible military action.

Pentagon officials had stressed to his committee the ease with which weapons of mass destruction could be hidden in Iraq.

The UK might give a different response, he said.

"I think we'll take a very different view. We will say - yes, there ought to be scepticism but the offer must be examined carefully."

Blair's concerns

King Abdullah, who met Tony Blair this week before travelling on to Washington, said international opinion was against a war on Iraq.

The king told the Washington Post newspaper: "Blair has tremendous concerns about how this would unravel."

Mr Anderson said he was unsurprised by the comments as Mr Blair had put a different emphasis on talk of "regime change" in Iraq to US President George Bush.

In any case, there would be no attack on Iraq before the US congressional elections in November so there was nothing to lose in setting a time limit to test whether the Iraqi offer was genuine, he added.

Diplomacy hopes

Former Labour Defence Minister Peter Kilfoyle said he was surprised to hear of Mr Blair's reservations.

"I am glad that he has obviously listened to the chorus of voices speaking about this," Mr Kilfoyle told BBC News Online.

The Liverpool Walton MP said the seriousness of the Iraq offer needed to be examined but he invoked the old cliché that "jaw, jaw is better than war, war".

Optimism was essential in such situations, he argued.

"The combined diplomatic pressure being brought to bear can ensure that both the US desists from attack on Iraq and Iraq accedes to the international requests for unhindered access for weapons inspectors."

Mr Kilfoyle said the military equipment failings displayed during last year's exercise in Oman underlined the risks a war with Iraq posed to British troops.