The Iraqi foreign minister Naji Sabri has said Iraq is preparing a reply to a UN letter asking Baghdad whether it would invite weapons' inspectors to return.
"We are preparing a reply to his excellency the UN Secretary-General," Sabri told reporters without elaborating.
Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf told the al-Jazeera satellite television earlier today that the "work of inspection teams in Iraq had been completed."
He said an invitation for an "equitable dialogue" with the United Nations, extended last week by Iraqi President Saddam, had not included an offer for the return of inspectors.
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It was not clear, however, whether Sahaf's comments indicated a final rejection of the return of arms inspectors.