BAGHDAD, Nov 25: UN experts vowed upon their arrival in Baghdad on Monday to operate “like detectives” in inspecting suspected Iraqi arms sites after a four-year hiatus.

They come equipped with a tough new UN security council resolution that hints at the use of force if Baghdad plays cat-and-mouse games during their mission.

“We operate like detectives and when we have clues, we have to be flexible and change our plans,” Melissa Fleming, spokeswoman for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told reporters.

“We are here just to test cooperation on the ground. We do not believe any words of any government ... We believe actions, we believe what we can see with our own eyes,” Fleming said.

Iraq, which has offered “full cooperation”, has strongly denied having any weapons of mass destruction and says the inspectors will find nothing incriminating.

But if Iraq does not cooperate, it will face “severe consequences” according to new tough UN Security Council Resolution 1441, including possible military strikes led by the United States.

Washington has pushed the security council to act against President Saddam Hussein and continues to seek more allies to contribute to any eventual military strike.

The 11 inspectors from the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission and six from the IAEA who arrived with Fleming are due to start work on Wednesday.

They landed at Saddam International Airport from Cyprus aboard a white C-130 Hercules transport bearing the letters UN in black, without any official reception, and were driven to their hotel in a convoy with no special escort.—AFP