January 21, 2003	Tuesday	Ziqa’ad 17, 1423

BAGHDAD, Jan 20: Baghdad struck a deal on Monday with the United Nations, accepting demands by arms inspectors for greater cooperation in the buildup to a report to the Security Council that could trigger a US-led invasion.

Inspectors Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei left Baghdad after issuing a 10-point joint declaration, winning a pledge that Baghdad would bolster cooperation with the disarmament process.

Plagued by threats of war from Washington and London, both of which are deploying huge numbers of forces to the Gulf, Baghdad agreed to grant access to all sites, including private homes, encourage Iraqi scientists to accept private interviews and appoint a team for a comprehensive search for warheads.

Any negative report could be used by the United States as the threshold for deciding military action against Iraq.

Iraq’s will to boost cooperation was accompanied by a notable meeting on Sunday of Blix and ElBaradei with Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan, the first since inspections resumed.

Ramadan, usually known for his harsh criticism of inspections, pledged “the assertion of Iraq’s position for granting all aspects of support for the achievement of the mission of the inspectors”.

The UN disarmament heads also twice met Foreign Minister Naji Sabri.

US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld supported on Sunday a widely circulated scenario whereby Saddam and other senior Iraqi officials would leave for another country without fear of prosecution for alleged war crimes.

But in Beirut, one of several senior Iraqi officials touring the region to push Baghdad’s case, rejected any idea that Saddam might go into exile as “idiocy which smacks of psychological warfare”.—AFP