The Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister, Tariq Aziz, has said there will be no compromise on American demands to allow UN weapons inspectors into his country's presidential palaces.

At a news conference, he said the issue was being "used by the Americans as a pretext to dramatise the situation and use that drama in order to prepare the ground for a military aggression."

Clinton: Insisting on access to palaces

He added: "We are working with the Special Commission in all faith and all seriousness.

"If the Americans have their own interpretations, they are responsible for that. And if they are threatening as they have threatened in the past, we are not scared."

Mr Aziz emphasised that Iraq believes the United States to be isolated among the 15 nations on the UN Security Council. The Council is meeting on Thursday to discuss the Iraqi situation.

Butler: Went home empty-handed

He said President Clinton's insistence on allowing weapons inspectors into President Saddam Hussein's many palaces was politically based.

"They know very well we don't have weapons of mass destruction, those weapons have been destroyed since 1991," he said.

The United Nations Special Commission (Unscom) had visited "sensitive sites" more than 100 times since September 1996.

Mr Aziz said the recent visit by the Unscom boss, Richard Butler, had been professional and in the main objective.

President Saddam: No to palace inspections

But he insisted inspecting presidential palaces did not fall within Unscom's mandate.

Another issue raised was the use of the American U2 surveillance plane by the Unscom team.

"I renewed the position that this American flying plane should stop its flights and another plane should be used for this purpose," he said.

"It could be an Iraqi plane, we have two planes that can do the same job, or a plane from a neutral country."
 

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