Iraq's state-controlled press urged UN members yesterday to stand up to the US and accept Baghdad's offer to hold talks with weapons inspectors.
"All members of the United Nations must fulfil their responsibilities and stand up to this destructive, aggressive American tendency and strongly back Iraq's new initiative ... to eliminate all doubts and reveal the fabricated American-British lies," al-Thawra newspaper said in an editorial.
Iraq on Thursday invited chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix to visit Baghdad for technical talks, hinting it could lead to a resumption of inspections for the first time since 1998.
In remarks published yesterday, Blix said he wanted Iraq to agree to the return of UN inspectors before he accepted an invitation to technical talks.
"I think they [Iraqis] have to say that they accept the return of weapons inspectors according to the resolutions of the Security Council," Blix was quoted as telling the London-based daily al-Hayat when asked when he might go to Iraq.
"The situation would be much worse if I went to Baghdad and then talks broke down. We don't want that," he told the paper. He said he did not want to "build expectations with no foundation."
The US has said there is nothing to discuss and called for "unfettered inspections" in Iraq. It renewed its determination to oust President Saddam Hussein.
Britain was also skeptical of the Iraqi invitation, which will be discussed by Security Council members this week.
"The declared American-British position towards the Iraqi move ... proves that what they are trying to achieve has nothing to do with inspections or non-existent weapons of mass destruction," said Babel daily, owned by Saddam's son Uday.
US President George W. Bush said on Saturday "nothing's changed" regarding the US determination to topple Saddam.
"I'm a patient man. I'll use all of the tools at our disposal" to deal with the threat, Bush said, referring to US charges that Saddam is developing weapons of mass destruction.
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