Day the weapons inspectors paid a visit to Saddam's palace

It was the shortest search of the mission so far, just one hour and 29 minutes. But no one could doubt the symbolic significance when the United Nations came calling at the gates of Saddam Hussein's palace yesterday morning.

This had always been seen as a test of the credibility of this most highly publicised of UN operations. The barriers put up to the inspection of the palaces by the Iraqi regime was one of the prime reasons why the last missions ended in acrimony, triggering a military onslaught by the United States and Britain.

The choice of this site was, for the Iraqis at least, emotive. Sajood Palace, on the west bank of the Tigris, is not only one President Saddam's eight official homes, but has close links with the rise of the ruling Ba'ath hierachy.

The current occupant was not at home when the UN convoy rolled up to the black iron front gates at 8.46 am. Another group of monitors blocked off an identical set of gates at the back in an attempt to prevent anyone leaving.

Sajood was visited by UN monitors in the last mission before they pulled out of Iraq in 1998. But that was under a deal done by Kofi Annan with Saddam, in which the Iraqis had to be given prior warning, and the inspectors were accompanied by diplomats.

As in every inspection in this mission, around a hundred journalists were in attendance, this time in a state of fevered excitement because of the location.

The presidential guard, in their olive uniform and black berets looked, sleepy and bewildered. The members of the secret police, the Mukhabarat, in black leather jacket, also present at the entrance, looked bemused.

Dimitri Parricos, the normally loquacious head of Unmovic (UN Monitoring and Verification Commission) paced with pursed lips, glancing at his watch with uncharacteristic impatience. He and his team had to wait just over eight minutes before being let in.

Only Iraqi television were allowed to go in with the inspectors. One of the UN's white four-wheel-drive vehicles had been left blocking off the main gate. But also left, on the front passenger seat, were what appeared to be confidential documents.

A map marked "Sajood Palace Presidential Site– Not Previously Drawn", with search areas designated "gold, white, blue and green".

At 9.07, Saddam's presidential secretary, Abid Hammoud, went into the palace supposedly "frozen" by the UN. He was there, said Unmovic afterwards, to provide information.

Soon after the inspectors left, the media were allowed in. Saddam's palace, held up by Washington and London as an example of his profligacy in a collapsed economy, was more Gracelands than Versailles.

A 150-yard red tarmac drive flanked by pines led to the main entrance. The media were shown into a three-storey circular atrium with white marble walls inlaid with wood, under a chandelier apparently modelled on one in Ottoman Istanbul.

Astonishingly, there were no photographs of Saddam. There were, however, flowing inscriptions on the wall in homage to the leader: "You are the life, you are the book, you are the desert, you are the shining mirage".

After 18 minutes the journalists were ushered out. General Hossam Mohammed Amin, the head of the Iraqi liaision team, assured everyone: "The Iraqi side was co-operative, the inspectors were very, very happy,"

Yesterday evening a UN spokesman insisted that the inspectors had thoroughly checked every room, all the outbuildings and the vast grounds during their brief time inside the palace.

There was media scepticism at this, but also acceptance that what was significant was not whether anything was found, but that the search had taken place at all.