Iraq tries diplomacy to avoid US attack

Blix is the executive chairman of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission, known as UNMOVIC. UN and several European diplomats welcomed Iraq’s hint that it might readmit UN teams to check for banned weapons programmes for the first time since 1998.

But Britain, Washington’s closest military ally, suggested that Iraq had no plans to give the inspectors unfettered access. ‘‘Saddam has a long history of playing games. As his track record shows, he does not deliver,’’ a Foreign Office spokesman said.

Diplomats in Europe said it might be hard for the US to prevent the UN Security Council from authorising Blix to go to Baghdad and explore the Iraqi offer. ‘‘The Americans are being told by their allies, including Britain, that we have to give the inspectors and diplomacy a last chance before going to war. They can’t be seen to be blocking diplomatic efforts,’’ a diplomat said.

Hawks in Washington, where President George W. Bush on Thursday reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to ‘‘regime change’’ in Baghdad, are likely to smell what they regard as familiar Iraqi tactics of duplicity and procrastination.

Russia, a determined opponent of military action against Iraq, welcomed Baghdad’s invitation to Blix.

‘‘Moscow considers Iraq’s proposal to be an important step towards solving the present problems through diplomatic and political means in line with the existing UN Security Council resolutions,’’ the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel, reflecting European concerns about the risks posed by a new war on Iraq, urged Sabri in Brussels last week to accept the return of UN inspectors.

‘‘This is going in the right direction, and certainly in the direction that minister Michel asked of the Iraqi foreign minister,’’ Belgian Foreign Ministry spokesman Patrick Herman said on Friday when asked about Iraq’s invitation to Blix. Ahmed Fawzi, director of the UN Information Centre in London, said the Iraqi initiative, if serious, was a ‘‘positive development’’ to which Annan would respond soon.

‘‘I think the Security Council will welcome such a move and support the secretary-general’s decision whatever it is. Any credible diplomatic move to avert war should be explored,’’ he said, but added: ‘‘If it’s just another delaying tactic, I don’t think the international community will accept that.’’

Iraq says it has scrapped all its banned arms programmes and Sabri’s invitation came only four days after he said the US and its allies would use any new inspections for espionage ahead of a war to oust Saddam and grab Iraqi oil. ‘‘They would come to this country, including US spies, Israeli spies and British spies,’’ he said of the inspectors. (Reuters)