Iraq and the United Nations are more divided than ever over the UN Security Council's mandate to search for weapons of mass destruction.

This is despite the three-day visit to Baghdad by the UN's Chief Weapons Inspector, Richard Butler, who attempted to negotiate an agreement.

The Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister, Tariq Aziz, has called for a freeze on inspections of so-called sensitive sites, such as the presidential palaces. He said Mr Butler's requests for UN access to these sites were aimed at espionage, not disarmament.

Richard Butler: Iraq "must co-operate"

"I told him (Butler) that it does not make sense that, in the whole country, we choose to produce chemical and biological weapons in the places where the head of state eats, sleeps and relaxes," said Mr Aziz.

"They want to look and report to the CIA and the Pentagon in order to elaborate information about those sites."

Iraq "intimidated"

Speaking at a news conference, Mr Aziz accused the UN inspectors of lacking the professional expertise to communicate with their Iraqi counterparts. He called them incompetent "cops", not experts.

He said that Iraq was being threatened and intimidated by the build-up of American and British warships in the region. As a result all Iraqi men and women would undergo military training to protect their country and freedom.

He also denied accusations made by the British Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, that Iraq is continuing to produce biological and other weapons.

"That is a lie. He does not have any credible evidence to prove that accusation," he said.

BBC Baghdad correspondent, Rageh Omaar, said: "Mr Aziz's comments were blunt and in many ways ominous. He said that enough was enough and that there were no practical reasons for continuing with what he called 'this game.'"

Evaluation talks

The presidential palaces are out of bounds

Mr Aziz said he was confident the proposed technical evaluation talks would close all the files on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. He called for the suspension of access to presidential palaces until the talks end in April.

But Mr Butler warned earlier that it was not clear the evaluation talks would lead to a decision to close the files on Iraq. He emphasised that a freeze on inspections was a direct contradiction of the UN Security Council.

"I made proposals to Iraq that might have helped them think that their dignity would be intact while we exercised our rights. There was no reply to those proposals," he said.

"Unless Iraq cooperates with us, provides unconditional and unrestricted access, Unscom (UN Special Commission) will not be able to complete its job.

"I must be able to close all the files ... (until then) I cannot report to the Security Council which in turn cannot decide on the lifting of the economic sanctions," he said.

Mr Butler has left Baghdad and will brief the UN Security Council about his unsuccessful visit to Iraq on Friday.
 

Back to top | BBC News Home | BBC Homepage	©