US, Iraq reach nuclear compromise

The United States and Iraq have reached a compromise in a dispute over nuclear arms control, enabling a key international non-proliferation agreement to be approved.

More than one-hundred-and-eighty countries -- including the five main nuclear powers the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France -- have committed themselves to what is called an unequivocal undertaking totally to eliminate nuclear arsenals.

The agreement was reached at the United Nations after a month-long conference, which was extended into Saturday while the dispute between Washington and Baghdad was resolved.

The Canadian ambassador to the conference, who mediated between the two sides, gave no details of the compromise, but the dispute centred on Washington's allegations that Iraq has been trying to develop nuclear arms.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service