The United States dismissed the latest Iraqi offer on weapons inspections as "word games"and repeated its call for sustained international pressure onIraq to disarm.
Iraq appeared yesterday to relent to some UN demands onweapons inspections after ignoring a list of ground rules UnitedNations officials sent to Baghdad earlier.
But diplomats said a new letter from an Iraqi presidentialadviser delivered to weapons inspectors, the second this week,still fell short of a total acceptance of conditions for futureinspections set down by UN disarmament officials.
"Iraq continues to want to play word games and not comply,"State Department spokeswoman Ms Jo-Anne Prokopowicz said. "It willcontinue to make contradictory promises and then choose theversion of most tactical benefit at any given moment," she added.
The Security Council opens a debate on Wednesday on aresolution that would threaten Iraq if its defiance of UNweapons inspectors continues. The United States has drafted ameasure that would give inspectors more rights and authorise theuse of force if Iraq did not comply.