Baghdad yesterday formally notified the UN Security Council that all UN weapons inspectors could return to Iraq, declaring that a three-week crisis was over.
"We think that the crisis is over," the Iraqi ambassador, Mr Nizar Hamdoon, said after he delivered a letter to the Security Council president detailing Iraq's decision to allow the inspectors to return.
Mr Hamdoon said Baghdad was inviting the UN Special Commission (Unscom) "back in its usual teams to go back to Iraq and start working, effective today." He said, "We've invited Unscom in its entire membership, including Americans."
President Saddam Hussein of Iraq on October 29th caused the showdown by threatening to expel US experts working for Unscom on the grounds that they were government spies deliberately prolonging the seven-year-old Iraq sanctions regime.
Mr Hamdoon, who went to the Security Council following an official announcement in Baghdad, said Mr Saddam reversed his decision after Iraq aired its grievances and obtained a "better hearing" of its position.
"We hope that there will be a better climate now for more co-operative relations between Iraq and the Unscom people," Mr Hamdoon said, adding that this should lead to the early lifting of the crippling oil embargo.
The UN spokesman, Mr Fred Eckhard, announced at a news conference that 77 Unscom inspectors could return to Baghdad from Bahrain this morning.
"All of this has been prepared pending official notification from Iraq that they accept unconditionally the return of the inspectors," Mr Eckhard said. "This would essentially restore Unscom to its previous strength levels prior to the crisis."
Mr Eckhard said the Iraqi letter to the Security Council president, Mr Qin Huasun of China, was being translated from Arabic. If the text agreed to the unconditional return of all the inspectors, "then that's a go," he said.
Mr Hamdoon also said that the Unscom chairman, Mr Richard Butler of Australia, would travel to Baghdad to discuss arrangements governing inspections of sites deemed sensitive by the Iraqi government. But no details were immediately available.
The Special Commission's 21 commissioners are due today to discuss Iraq's demand for a change in the composition of the UN inspection teams, and on the issue of closing weapons files.
However, Mr Richardson noted that any recommendations from the commissioners would have to be approved by the Security Council.
In Baghdad, Iraq said it had agreed yesterday to allow back all UN arms inspectors after receiving a Russian pledge to help lift economic sanctions. "If [the agreement] succeeds, we look forward to the lifting of sanctions against Iraq. But if the United States continues to deny our rights then we will have something else to say," Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Tariq Aziz, said yesterday.
He said "Russia has a clear understanding of the lack of balance" in Unscom, which Baghdad says is US-dominated. "But we received no other promises," Mr Aziz added.
Mr Saddam declared yesterday as the "Day of the People, of the victory of the Iraqis against the enemies", and thanked the human shields who camped out at palaces, factories and other facilities to protect them from attack.