UNITED NATIONS, January 23: China has called upon the United Nations (UN) to wind up its nuclear file on Iraq giving a new turn to the standoff between Baghdad and the world body.Beijing believes that the issue in the nuclear field has been resolved and there is no need for further questioning Iraq, Chinese Ambassador in the UN Qin Huasun told reporters.Qin said the progress had been made during the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team's last visit to Iraq with Baghdad responding to the inquiries made by it.``IAEA has no evidence to contradict Iraqi response,'' he said.He, however, asked Baghdad to fulfill all obligations under the Security Council resolutions, adding ``the UN should also make timely and objective evaluation of the progress made in the process of Iraqi disarmament''.Qin's remarks, which came at the end of a briefing by the IAEA to the Security Council, are considered significant as Chinese experts would be associated with technical review next month of Baghdad's disclosures about its weapons of mass destruction.Some other Council members have also been pleading the Iraq case, arguing that the recognition of the progress made would encourage Baghdad to disclose all about its chemical and biological weapons programmes too.This is for the first time that a permanent Security Council member has openly spoken about the Iraq policy.Under the Council resolution which ended the Gulf War, UN inspectors are expected to destroy all Iraqi weapons of mass destruction and long range missiles and set up a monitoring system to ensure Iraq does not acquire or manufacture them.Only after inspectors certify that all conditions have been fulfilled, the sanctions can be lifted. The economic sanctions were imposed after Iraq invaded Kuwait.Meanwhile, Chief Inspector Richard Butler of Australia, who had gone to Baghdad, informed the Council today that new Iraqi conditions on access to sites could delay UN inspections ``indefinitely''. Butler said Iraqi Government ``has not agreed to the Council's demand on access'' but had put up new proposals instead.Iraq maintained that UNSCOM's demand for access to Presidential sites ``went beyond its disarmament mandate,'' he said.
