Blix and ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said before leaving Baghdad their latest visit there had left them hopeful of a possible change of heart by Iraq, which has been accused of failing to cooperate fully.
Greece, current president of the 15-nation EU, proposed a summit for next Monday to discuss Friday's reports to the Security Council by Blix and ElBaradei. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder quickly said he would attend.
French and German officials played down a weekend report in the German magazine Der Spiegel that there was a detailed Franco-German plan to try to delay a war by boosting the number of arms inspectors in Iraq and backing them with UN troops.
"The reports about a possible sizeable peacekeeping mission in Iraq do not correspond with reality," German Defense Minister Peter Struck told Germany's Deutschlandfunk radio on Monday.
But, showing no sign of backing off from its anti-war approach, the German government said on Monday it saw no reason at present for a new UN resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq. Germany is currently on the Security Council.
Iraq said if such a resolution was put forward, it hoped that its traditional ally Russia would veto it.



