The United States reacted sceptically tonight to Iraq's acceptance of a U.N. resolution on weapons inspections, saying Baghdad must now prove itself by disarming.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had no choice but to accept the U.N. resolution and had made similar promises before and broken them.
"We've heard this before from Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi regime. Now we need to see it by Saddam Hussein's actions. The onus continues to be on Saddam Hussein. This is his choice," McClellan told reporters.
President George W. Bush said the United States would not tolerate any denial or deceit on the part of Saddam. He spoke shortly before Iraq announced it had accepted the resolution.
"If he chooses not to disarm, we will disarm him. That should be clear to Saddam Hussein and everybody else. And if he chooses not to disarm, we will have a coalition of the willing with us," Bush told reporters during a Cabinet meeting, with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Colin Powell at his side.
U.S. officials made clear they were doubtful Iraq would ever comply fully, but believed instead Saddam would try to engage in delay tactics as they say Baghdad has done over the span of 11 years and 16 prior U.N. resolutions.
Bush later met U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan in the Oval Office. Annan told reporters with Bush seated at his side that the resolution "must be implemented" and that U.N. weapons inspectors would go to Iraq on Monday "and actively begin their work."
Bush, who had warned that the United Nations risked becoming a "debating society" if it failed to approve an Iraq resolution, thanked Annan for his role and said the world body had "stepped up to its responsibilities."
The Iraqis' letter accepting the resolution, addressed to Annan, denied Iraq possesses weapons of mass destruction, saying that "such fabrications are baseless."