BRUSSELS, Jan 27: Struggling to paper over their policy split on Iraq, European Union foreign ministers on Monday pleaded for more time for United Nations weapons inspectors to continue their disarmament mission in Baghdad, but also warned Iraqi authorities to ensure full cooperation with the UN team.

However, sticking to its tough pro-American line on Iraq, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix had presented the Security Council with “clear evidence” that Iraq was concealing its arsenal of weapons of mass destruction from UN inspectors.

“What we have heard today in New York is clear evidence that Saddam Hussein is not engaged in effective cooperation,” Straw told reporters at an EU foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels. The Iraqi leader was “practicing concealment,” Straw insisted, adding that Baghdad had turned the inspections into a “charade.”

But in earlier comments, a joint statement by EU foreign ministers demanded more time for Blix and his team to continue inspections in Baghdad.

In an implicit warning against unilateral American action against Iraq, the 15 nation bloc also insisted that the “responsibility of the United Nations Security Council in maintaining international peace and security must be respected.”

UN weapons inspectors must be “given all the time they need” to secure the elimination of Iraq’s alleged arsenal of nuclear, chemical and biological arms, German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer told reporters. “This is our position,” Fischer insisted.

France also demanded additional time for the inspectors, adding that UN resolutions had set no deadline for completing the operation in Baghdad.

Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou insisted that a peaceful resolution to the crisis could still be found if Iraq complied fully with the UN. Greece is current president of the 15 nation EU.

United Nations Resolution 1441 gave Baghdad “an unambiguous message that the Iraqi government has a final opportunity to resolve the crisis peacefully,” said EU foreign ministers.

Iraq must fully cooperate with United Nations inspectors by providing “as an imperative” and without delay “all additional and complete information on questions raised by the international community,” the statement said.

The 15 European foreign ministers thrashed out their joint stance on Iraq after four EU countries which are also current members of the United Nations Security Council agreed that the UN body must endorse any new international action on Iraq and said they would strive to find a peaceful solution to the crisis with Baghdad.

France and Britain are permanent veto-exercising members of the United Nations Security Council while Spain and Germany have just joined the body for a two-year term.