UN Secretary-General Mr Kofi Annan says he is asking Iraq to clarify its invitation for weapons talks.
Mr Annan indicated he expects Baghdad to first show willingness to allow UN arms inspectors to return.
He spoke to reporters yesterday after briefing UN Security Council members about a reply he was drafting to Iraqi Foreign Minister Mr Naji Sabri's invitation last Thursday for chief UN arms inspector Mr Hans Blix to come to Baghdad for technical talks.
"We would want to discuss with them the return of the inspectors," Mr Annan said. "If Iraq is open to that sort of idea, there are practical [means] for moving forward, and this is something we are going to explore in the next letter".
Iraq has said Mr Blix should review all pending issues on Baghdad's alleged weapons of mass destruction, key to suspending UN sanctions imposed when Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990. Mr Sabri said the talks could lead to a "solid basis" for the return of the inspectors, out of the country since December 1998.
But Mr Blix has said he would only discuss "practical issues" because a 1999 Security Council resolution prevented him from analysing arms data until the inspectors were back on the ground to determine what happened since they left on the eve of a US-British bombing raid.