UN arms inspectors have left Baghdad, ending days of stalemate with Iraqi officials who had refused to let them work.

Alan Dacey, UN special commission (Unscom) comments on HMS Invincible and recent events (Dur : 2'09")

The UN said the team had planned to leave on Friday anyway and it was not surrendering to Iraqi pressure.

"We will be back," said Scott Ritter, the American inspector Iraq accused of spying.

His team left the Iraqi capital by road headed for an air base and a flight out of the country.

Richard Butler: back in Baghdad on Monday

The withdrawal puts extra pressure on the the UN's chief inspector Richard Butler, due in Baghdad on Monday.

He said he has major concerns about Iraq's willingness to comply with UN resolutions on disarmament.

He said the Iraqi Government had made considerable progress in the disarmament process which made it harder to understand why it had once again taken action which challenged the inspection operation.

It is the second time in three months the UN has withdrawn its inspectors.

The UN Special Commission (Unscom) team, led by Mr Ritter, had not worked for three days because Iraq refused to provide escorts.

Iraq said the team was dominated by Americans and Britons and accuses Mr Ritter of being a spy.

Iraq backs Russian plane offer

Iraqi officials earlier welcomed a Russian offer to use its surveillance planes instead of American U-2 aircraft to patrol the Gulf state.

Sources told BBC it was a significant new development that could help resolve the crisis.

Baghdad repeatedly threatened to shoot down U-2s during last year's stand-off with the Unscom.

Iraq threatened to attack the U-2

The threat was not carried out but Iraq remains opposed to the continued use of U-2s.

The Russian Defence Minister, Igor Sergeyev, offered Russian aircraft instead.

But Americans say the U-2 is controlled solely by Unscom, not the US, and dismiss allegations it is used for spying.

US President Clinton told a news conference: "I'm not familiar with what kinds of aircraft the Russians might be talking about here, nor am I aware of any kind of offer.

"What I am aware of is that the original agreement which was struck regarding air surveillance was between the United Nations and between the Iraqis and it involved the U-2 specifically."

French and Russians ready to join inspection teams

Iraq says Unscom teams operating out of Baghdad remain US-dominated despite its protest in November when it expelled American inspectors.

It sees the use of a US plane for the UN-sanctioned surveillance flights as further evidence of America imposing its will on Unscom.

A French-Russian initiative is also under way to assuage Iraqi concerns about the Anglo-Saxon make-up of the Unscom team.

A Russian spokesman said Moscow had sent a list of 60 inspectors to Unscom's chief inspector, Richard Butler, who is due to return to Iraq on Monday.

France is also making more personnel available to Unscom, both at its New York headquarters and inside Iraq.

Unscom members in Iraq

But there are two obstacles to more inspectors of other nationalities joining the team quickly.

Necessary skills, both in the weapons field and knowledge of English, cannot always be found, while countries must pay the salaries of their nationals working for Unscom.

But Russia in particular appears determined to take action to force change on the Iraqi problem.

Iraq calls for direct dialogue with America

Nizar Hamdoon on UN inspection teams (2'13")

Meanwhile the Iraqi Ambassador to the United Nations, Nizar Hamdoon, has called for a resumption in diplomatic relations between the his country and the US.

He said direct dialogue between the nations could solve disagreements over disarmament and other issues.

The US severed all diplomatic ties with Iraq at the end of the 1991 Gulf War when sanctions and arms restrictions were imposed by the UN.

Mr Hamdoon told the BBC: "By dialogue we mean the usual civilised, business-like talk between two governments to try to address the outstanding issues."

But in his most recent news conference where he spoke about Iraq, President Clinton continued to condemn Iraq's interference in the work of Unscom as "totally unacceptable".

He said further progress remained dependent on Mr Butler's reception when he arrives in Iraq on Monday.

Back to top | BBC News Home | BBC Homepage	©