Stewart Stogel, NewsMax.com
Friday, Aug. 2, 2002

The letter, sent Thursday night by Iraqi foreign minister Naji Sabri to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, asks that the secretary-general dispatch arms chief Hans Blix to resolve "outstanding" issues with a goal toward resumption of inspections.

Those inspections were halted in December 1998 when then U.N. arms chairman Richard Butler evacuated his personnel in advance of Operation Desert Fox.

Since then, Baghdad has refused repeated requests by the arms inspectors to return, until now.

Though the request by Iraq does not mean it has accepted the resumption of inspections, an Iraqi official tells NewsMax "it will happen."

Iraq's surprise move comes on the same day the United States took over the rotating presidency of the Security Council. The United States' U.N. mission had no immediate comment.

The development also comes shortly after Annan told Baghdad that he would no longer meet with Iraqi officials unless they agreed to resume arms inspections.

On Captiol Hill this week, there have been hearings by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the threat to the U.S. posed by Iraq and the feasibility of any military confrontation with Saddam Hussein's army.

Several diplomats at the U.N. say they see the invitation as a move to counter any U.S. attack on Baghdad.

"It would be hard for the U.S. to attack with U.N. inspectors on the ground," explained one veteran diplomat.

President Bush has repeatedly demanded that Baghdad resume the arms inspections "without conditions." U.N. diplomats believe that the invitation issued Thursday night does just that.

There was no immediate comment from Annan, but aides say he will accept the Iraqi invitation.

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