The British aircraft carrier Invincible was moved into the Mediterranean in November at the time of the last confrontation with Iraq. Now it's being sent to the Gulf in response to the row over the blocking of the inspection team led by the American, Scott Ritter, whom the Iraqis describe as a spy.

The British government said it was working to secure Iraqi co-operation by diplomatic means, but if that failed other measures including the use of force might have to be considered. The Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, said President Saddam Hussein, couldn't decide who the inspectors should be and where they went: The United States has kept large forces in the Gulf since November and is using the threat they pose to Iraq as a lever to increase the diplomatic pressure.

But at the same time, the head of the UN weapons inspectors, Richard Butler, has been having talks in Paris about the composition of inspection teams. The French Foreign Minister, Hubert Vedrine, said France was ready to provide more inspectors -- not to meet Iraqi demands but because it was a good thing to have inspectors who were representative of the Security Council.