A British government minister insisted this afternoon that more UN inspectors in Iraq would not help disarm Baghdad, in a thinly-veiled criticism of a Franco-German initiative aimed at averting a US attack.
"Progress cannot be made by giving Saddam Hussein more time or by pouring in more inspectors," Britain's armed forces minister Mr Adam Ingram told a high-level security conference in Munich.
"Progress is not a function of time or inspectors. It can only be achieved by Saddam Hussein complying fully with (UN resolutions)," Mr Ingram said.
The German Foreign Minister Mr Peter Struck, speaking at the same conference said that Paris and Berlin hope to present their joint proposal to the UN Security Council on Friday, the same day UN weapons inspectors are to report again to the council.
According to the German press, the Franco-German initiative would include sending UN peacekeepers into Iraq, tripling the number of UN weapons inspectors and turning the Gulf state into a no-fly zone.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said that Moscow could support the plan and was also ready to supply weapons experts to help UN inspections teams.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell said the plan dealt with the "wrong issues" and would serve as a "diversion".
The Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel, however, said he was "completely favourable" to the plan.
AFP