Iraq accuses U.S. of delaying return of weapons inspectors

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraq said the absence of U.N. weapons inspectors in the country after it agreed to their return was America's fault and constituted a breach of agreements.

A statement released Sunday after a Cabinet meeting headed by President Saddam Hussein said inspectors failed to show up in Iraq at the agreed time on Oct. 19.

It called the move "a breach of the agreement reached between Iraq and the United Nations secretary general on Sept. 16," a reference to Iraq's agreement to resume weapons inspections after a four-year break.

The statement said Iraq holds the United States responsible for the delay and repeated Baghdad's position that there was no need for any new, tougher U.N. Security Council resolutions to govern the inspectors' mandate.

Iraq has been pushing for an advance party to arrive in Baghdad, but chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix said last week he will wait for the Security Council to adopt a new resolution. Blix had said that since the council was still debating a resolution, the U.N. team wouldn't be able to deploy by Oct. 19.

The Iraqi Cabinet statement called the delay "illegal," and said it undermined the reputation of the United Nations.

It said any Security Council resolution that goes against the Sept. 16 agreement would mean "that the Security Council does not respect its obligations at a time it is asking others to respect theirs."

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, on a visit to central Asian nations Sunday, repeated his plea that Baghdad allow arms inspectors.

"I expect the Security Council to pass a resolution to strengthen the U.N. inspectors, with whose demands Iraq should comply," he said. "I urge Iraq to heed that call and comply."

Annan said if the inspectors return and report "that Iraq continues to defy the council, I do expect the U.N. to take a decision. I do expect it to be unanimous, in one voice."

Secretary of State Colin Powell, speaking on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday, said he expects the Security Council to enact a resolution setting strong guidelines for inspection teams to be sent back into Iraq.

But, he added, "The issue right now is not even how tough an inspection regime is or isn't. The question is will Saddam and the Iraqi regime cooperate -- really, really cooperate -- and let the inspections do their job."

"All we are interested in is getting rid of those weapons of mass destruction," he said.

U.N. sanctions against Iraq, imposed after its invasion of Kuwait in 1990, cannot be lifted until inspectors verify Iraq is free of chemical and biological weapons and missiles to deliver them.

President Bush says Iraq is developing banned weapons programs and wants Saddam removed from power.