Chief UN Weapons Inspector Hans Blix and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director Mohamed Elbaradei arrived in Cyprus today, saying their talks with Iraqi officials had been constructive.Blix, head of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), said he and Elbaradei had ‘‘good discussions with representatives of the Iraqi government, and we were assured they will fully implement’’ the recently adopted UN Security Council resolution on disarmament. He described the conversations as ‘‘business like and professional.’’In response to a question, he said did not want to ‘‘prejudge what Iraq will say,’’ when it submits a report on December 8 in which it is required to give a full report on its alleged programmes for weapons of mass destruction. But he said he is confident that ‘‘war can be averted.’’Asked if he were more hopeful than when he arrived in Iraq on Monday, Blix said: ‘‘We’ve come some part of the way; we look forward to continuing.’’ The UN Security Council ‘‘wants assurances’’ that Iraq is free of weapons of mass destruction, ‘‘and we have to get those assurances.’’Elbaradei said he and Blix had impressed on the Iraqis that inspectors want ‘‘an accurate and complete report’’ on December 8, and ‘‘they made it clear they will do everything possible to cooperate with us.’’While describing their trip as a ‘‘constructive visit,’’ he added that Baghdad’s verbal commitment ‘‘has to be translated on the ground.’’Blix said the Iraqis ‘‘were somewhat concerned about the short time for presenting such a big report, and they had particular concern on reporting on the peaceful industries, like the chemical industry, which are devoted to peaceful purposes. They have quite a lot of that, and they were quite concerned about it. ‘‘They assured us they will do everything possible to make sure the declaration would cover all activities,’’ he added.He also said that both he and Blix would be returning to Iraq periodically ‘‘if things go normally, but obviously we would have to if there is a crisis.’’
