Iraq made some concession by letting inspectors hold four private interviews with Iraqi scientists on Thursday and Friday.
"It is clearly positive that the interviews with the scientists were conducted in private," Jacques Baute, a senior IAEA inspector accompanying ElBaradei, told reporters.
Blix has warned Baghdad that inspections could only work with "active cooperation from Iraq, not on process but on substance". ElBaradei has called for a meeting with Saddam, which he said would greatly help in getting better cooperation.
Babel, Iraq's most influential newspaper, said Baghdad would do its best to make the visit a success.
The leaders of France and China, both veto-holding Security Council members, have told Bush they want to avoid war amid a huge US military buildup around the Gulf.
Bush insists he would welcome a new UN resolution that backs up the demands of a resolution the Security Council approved in November warning of serious consequences if Iraq did not give up weapons of mass destruction.
Diplomats said a new Security Council resolution seeking international legitimacy for war may not include a deadline for Saddam to comply, or explicitly authorize force.
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