The chief United Nations arms inspector, Mr Richard Butler, said yesterday he was delaying American U-2 flights over Iraq while UN emissaries are in Baghdad, as requested by the UN Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan. "In response to a request by the Secretary-General, I have decide to postpone the U-2 flight scheduled for this week," Mr Butler said in a statement. Mr Annan has sent three envoys to Baghdad in an effort to persuade Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to rescind his order expelling Americans from UN arms teams.
Iraq has barred US arms experts from the UN teams, and threatened to shoot down US-made U-2 spy planes the UN uses to monitor Baghdad's compliance with the disarmament programme.
Earlier yesterday the US president, Mr Bill Clinton, called for the confrontation between Baghdad and the UN to be be resolved diplomatically, warning that an Iraqi attack on a US spy plane used by the UN would be a "big mistake".
France and Russia also urged Iraq to stop defying the UN Security Council and allow American arms inspectors working for the UN back into the country. President Saddam Hussein's decision, announced on October 29th, precipitated the current standoff. In a veiled warning against any unilateral US action, the two Security Council members also said steps against Iraq should only be undertaken by the UN.
The joint statement issued in Paris branded as unacceptable Iraq's decision to cut back its cooperation with the Special Commission (UNSCOM) in charge of detecting and dismantling Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.
"Iraq's decision to limit its cooperation with the United Nations Special Commission violates the resolutions of the Security Council and is unacceptable," it said, stressing the two countries attached great importance to unanimity within the Security Council on the issue.
Meanwhile a member of the contentious UN team said the group would not negotiate with the Baghdad government.
"We are not going there to negotiate. We are delivering a message," the Swedish envoy, Mr Jan Eliasson, said upon his arrival in Kuwait, the last stop before Baghdad. "I am confident the message will be understood. I also hope that it will be heeded," he said.
Mr Eliasson, a former UN ambassador and undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, was later joined by former Algerian foreign minister, Mr Lakhdar Brahimi, and former Argentine representative to the UN, Mr Emilio Cardenas.
Iraq yesterday barred US arms inspectors from weapons sites for the second consecutive day.