Iraq said yesterday it was ready to discuss a return of UN weapons inspectors, but only in a broader context of ending sanctions and restoring Iraqi sovereignty over all its territory.
"If you want to find a solution, you have to find a solution for all these matters, not only pick up one certain aspect of it," Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz said after meeting with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the Earth Summit.
"We are ready to find such a solution," he said.
Iraq has made similar proposals before.
As he has in the past, Annan urged Aziz to comply with Security Council resolutions, which call for the unconditional return of inspectors, his spokeswoman said.
The secretary-general's office described the 20-minute meeting as part of an "ongoing dialogue aimed at agreeing on the return of inspectors, which in turn will lead to a comprehensive solution, including the lifting of sanctions."
Aziz described the meeting as an exchange of views.
"We are ready to cooperate with the United Nations," Aziz said.
But he said such talks must include not only the return of inspectors but also the lifting of sanctions, the restoration of Iraqi sovereignty in the north and south of the country, and the end to US threats of invasion and "changing our political system."
Noting that the last team of UN inspectors stayed for 7 1/2 years, Aziz said new ones would only be welcome "if they come for a special mission" but not "if they send people who drag their feet for years."
He reiterated Baghdad's invitation last month to US Congress members and experts of their choice to search sites in Iraq where they suspect weapons are hidden.
The White House has dismissed the offer as a stunt.
Aziz accused Washington of being uninterested in dialogue.
"If the question of so-called weapons of mass destruction is a genuine concern by the United States, this matter could be dealt with reasonably and equitably," Aziz said.
"But if it's a pretext, pretexts can change. ... In the end, they [the US] will use whatever pretext remains in their hands to attack us," Aziz said, adding that "we are preparing ourselves to defend our country."
US Secretary of State Colin Powell was en route to Johannesburg yesterday to participate in the summit.
He was expected to face criticism from world leaders over threats by President George W. Bush's administration to attack Iraq.
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