Iraq refuses return of arms inspectors

No date has yet been set for more talks

Talks to end a three-and-half-year stand-off between Iraq and the United Nations have broken down with no agreement.

After two days of negotiations in Vienna, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan failed to persuade Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri to allow back UN weapons inspectors.

They want a little bit more assurance that the sanctions will be lifted in a reasonable timeframe

Fred Eckhard
UN spokesman

Mr Annan said there had been some progress and the two sides were to meet again, though no date has been set.

Mr Sabri said Iraq had wanted a range of issues considered, including United States' threats to topple President Saddam Hussein and the lifting of economic sanctions.

United Nations spokesman Fred Eckhard told the BBC that the talks had stumbled on the issue of sanctions.

"They want a little bit more assurance that the sanctions will be lifted in a reasonable timeframe," he said.

The UN Security Council has made the lifting of sanctions imposed after the Gulf War 12 years ago conditional on Iraq passing an inspection for weapons of mass destruction.

The inspectors have been barred from Iraq since leaving the country in 1998, accusing the authorities of hampering their investigations into whether Iraq is developing weapons of mass destruction.

Iraq's wishes

UN officials had warned not to expect too much from the meeting in Vienna - the third such meeting this year - even though Mr Annan said the atmosphere was positive after the first day.

Arms inspectors left Iraq in 1998

After the talks, Mr Eckhard noted that relations with Iraq had gradually become "more friendly, more relaxed".

On the second day, the talks continued longer than was scheduled.

But at the end, Mr Annan conceded that agreement had not been reached on the return to Iraq of the inspectors.

"They haven't said yes yet," he told reporters.

"There has been some movement, but obviously not enough."

Iraq had also asked Mr Annan for assurances that the United States would not take military action in the event of agreement over weapons inspections, but the secretary general made clear that this was not a matter for the UN.

Sanctions

The session between Mr Annan and Mr Sabri followed detailed talks by officials from both sides on how any return of inspectors would be handled on the ground.

The multinational UN team wants to check accusations that Iraq is developing chemical, biological or nuclear weapons.

Under Security Council resolutions, inspectors must certify that Iraq's weapons of mass destruction have been destroyed, along with the long-range missiles that could deliver them.

There was one agreement made on the first day of talks when Iraq agreed to return 90% of the archives it took when it occupied Kuwait in 1990 - the act that sparked the Gulf War.