Iraq is to allow UN arms inspectors into the palaces of President Saddam Hussein, Iraqi television reported yesterday. The decision followed a meeting of the country's powerful Revolutionary Command Council, the report said.
However, in Washington officials said the US will maintain military pressure against Iraq and does not consider the crisis with Baghdad over. "I think it's too early now to talk about . . . a complete stand-down and the crisis being over," said Gen Anthony Zinni, commander-in-chief of the US central command.
A similar message was delivered on Tuesday by the US Defence Secretary, Mr William Cohen, who said Washington would remain firm despite efforts by Moscow to ease UN sanctions against Iran.
The ban on Americans working in UN monitoring teams caused a tense stand-off with the UN and prompted a major US military build-up in the Gulf. Baghdad agreed to reverse its October 29th decision after mediation by Russia.
The government newspaper al- Jumhouriya said "Iraq will not tolerate any more farces by inspection teams," which it said had developed into virtual criminal courts.
But at the same time the official Iraqi news agency INA said 13 groups of monitors left by road yesterday for inspection sites, and one team used a helicopter for surveillance outside Baghdad. Iraqi officials later said 19 sites were inspected and no banned weapons were found.
"The work of the inspection teams has changed from searching for weapons to gathering information about Iraq which has nothing to do with UN Security Council resolutions," Jumhouriya said.
Thawra, newspaper of the ruling Baath party, said the US was insisting on inspecting President Saddam's palaces to divert attention from "Iraq's great and national cause, which is lifting the embargo" imposed by the UN when Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990.
In a sign that Baghdad may be gaining ground in its campaign to tip world opinion in its favour, the president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) made his strongest attempt yet to re-admit Iraq into Arab ranks. "Saddam Hussein is not stronger than others and what emanated from him was a result of greed not only in Kuwait but in the whole Gulf," Sheikh Zaid bin Sultan al-Nahayan told Egyptian editors in Cairo.
The UAE was part of the US-led coalition that drove Iraqi troops from Kuwait. But the Gulf state has since led a campaign to return Iraq to the Arab fold.
Meanwhile, Iraqis cursed President Clinton yesterday at the funeral procession of four children Iraq said died because of lack of medicine caused by the UN sanctions. Relatives wept as the children were wrapped in white linen, while the crowd cursed Mr Clinton.