On the eve of high-level talks between the United Nations and Iraq, UN officials were pessimistic that Baghdad would allow arms inspectors back to the country after an absence of more than three years.
UN Secretary-General Mr Kofi Annan wants to focus on the inspectors during the third round of talks with Iraqi Foreign Minister Mr Naji Sabri in Vienna tomorrow and Friday.
But Mr Sabri wants to talk about everything else - US threats to topple President Saddam Hussein, US-British flight exclusion zones over the northern and southern parts of the country and the way towards lifting sanctions, imposed when Baghdad's troops invaded Kuwait in August 1990.
"Our hope is that this time we can get something definitive on the return of inspectors," said UN spokesman Mr Fred Eckhard.
"For the secretary-general that is really the key and the major step to put Iraq in a position to become in full compliance with UN Security Council resolutions." But he said Iraqi officials insisted "they get some kind of assurances from the Americans they are not going to invade, or from the Americans and the British on the no-fly zone."
The arms inspectors, key to suspending 12-year old UN sanctions, left on the eve of a US-British bombing campaign in December 1998 and have not been allow to return since to check on any remaining weapons of mass destruction programmes.
The Vienna session is the third between UN and Iraqi delegations this year. At the end of the second meeting in early May, Baghdad submitted 19 questions, ranging from inspectors to President George W. Bush's threat to bring about a "regime change" in Iraq.
"They are still saying they want the 19 answers," Mr Eckhard said. "We have answered as many as we can and the others will have to be answered by members of the Security Council."
The United States has insisted Mr Annan be empowered only to speak about the inspectors.