UN spells out tough terms to Saddam on arms

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Shadow of war hangs over Iraq weapons talks

Saddam Hussein was preparing for war last night as the United Nations told an Iraqi delegation what Baghdad must do to avoid a new American-led bombing campaign.

Lawyers for the US State Department argue that Iraq, which has barred UN weapons inspectors since 1998, is currently in breach of the ceasefire that ended the Gulf war in 1991.

If the UN Security Council declares Iraq to be in "material breach" of the ceasefire, the US-led coalition would automatically be back at war with Baghdad. To avoid such a scenario, the Iraqis must satisfy the UN weapons inspectors that their suspected nuclear weapons programme has been dismantled, and all chemical and biological weapons destroyed. All long-range missiles that could threaten Iraq's neighbours must be eliminated.

Iraq has long maintained that all its weapons of mass destruction have been destroyed and is demanding the lifting of UN sanctions imposed after the 1990 invasion of Kuwait, which are linked to the weapons issue.

But the spokesman for the weapons inspectors, Ewen Buchanan, asked yesterday: "Who knows what's happened in the last three years", during which the UN monitors have been barred from the country?

The Iraqi leader gathered his senior staff together this week. The Deputy Prime Minister, Tariq Aziz, said there was a cabinet meeting lasting "many hours" on Tuesday, and another with senior officials on Wednesday "to discuss preparations to face and repel the aggression".

The US and Britain insist Iraq must show it is serious about weapons inspections if it wants the sanctions to end.