Iraq taking 'new, positive' steps, says Blix

Blair faces revolt in Commons as chief weapons inspector reports signs of co-operation

Unexpected signs of "substantive" Iraqi co-operation were complicating Tony Blair's task last night as he faced a rebellion by more than 100 MPs before a crucial Commons debate.

In the past three days UN inspectors in Baghdad have received a flurry of new documentation that Hans Blix, the chief inspector, said indicated a "positive" attitude. Among the details was information about a bomb possibly filled with chemical or biological agents.

Mohammed al-Douri, Iraq's ambassador to the UN, said: "As a result of inquiries in Iraq, on a daily basis we are providing Mr Blix with results." Two new letters, delivered to the chief inspector yesterday, contained information on "some warheads" and "records of bombs in the ground" that had been destroyed, Mr Douri said. He gave no further details.

Mr Blix said the details of the weapons were "positive steps which need to be explored further". Asked if there was any indication by the Iraqis of "substantive progress or proactive co-operation", he replied "yes".

The move will encourage the 102 MPs who appealed to Tony Blair last night to halt the drive to war in Iraq and declared there were no grounds for immediate military action. The MPs signed a Commons amendment saying they found "the case for military action against Iraq as yet unproven".

Most of those backing the protest against Mr Blair's strategy were Labour but they were joined by a handful of Conservatives, including the former ministers Douglas Hogg and Edward Leigh. The open rebellion came ahead of a Commons vote on Iraq tonight, when scores of Labour MPs are threatening to defy strong pressure from party whips to support the Government's motion. It calls on Iraq to take its "final opportunity" to disarm and is seen by anti-war MPs as giving a green light to military action.

Graham Allen, one of the organisers of the rebel amendment and a former Labour whip, said: "The numbers are very significant. It is not the 30 or 40 usual suspects. I hope the Prime Minister will listen. It will strengthen his hand in negotiating ­ with President Bush ­ a sensible exit strategy that will not involve killing anyone."

Mr Allen insisted: "We are supporting Tony Blair's strategy of last week: to threaten and contain Saddam through the inspections regime. This week he has moved on to a strategy of premature war."

More than 50 Labour MPs may refuse to support the Government tonight. But the scale of the rebellion may be hard to measure because critics will be offered a night off by the whips. Others will abstain. Charles Kennedy, the Liberal Democrat leader, tabled his own amendment, saying inspectors must be given "sufficient time". It also said war should be a "last resort" and be sanctioned by the UN and the Commons.

The new sign of candour from Iraq came after a flying visit to Baghdad by the Russian envoy, Yevgeny Primakov, in which he is believed to have warned Saddam Hussein that failure to co-operate actively with UN inspectors would almost certainly lead to a military strike by the US and Britain.

Mr Blix said one letter informed inspectors that Iraq had "found an R-400 bomb containing liquid in a site which is known to us at which they did dispose of biological weapons before". But Iraq has not answered a request to provide documents about the filling of R-400 bombs with aflatoxin, a biological agent. Nor has it promised to begin destroying its stock of about 120 Al-Samoud II missiles by Saturday, as demanded by the inspectors, who say they exceed the range permitted by the Security Council.

In an interview with the American CBS network, in which President Saddam challenged Mr Bush to a live TV debate, he appeared to indicate that he would not comply with the ultimatum. "Iraq is allowed to prepare proper missiles," he said. Asked if Al-Samoud II missiles were "proper", he said: "We do not have missiles that go beyond the proscribed range."

Mr Bush dismissed the apparent Iraqi concession. "I suspect he will try to fool the world one more time," he said, insisting that only "total disarmament" could avert war. If necessary, Washington would bypass the UN. The second resolution introduced on Monday was not essential, Mr Bush said at a White House meeting with Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, one of four Security Council members backing America and Britain's hard line.