THE chief UN weapons inspector, due to present a crucial report by this weekend, said bluntly yesterday that Iraq still had not made a “fundamental decision” to disarm.

Hans Blix, who is trapped in a dispute between the world’s great powers, appeared intent on correcting the widespread interpretation that he is satisfied with recent offerings by Iraq, including documents and an R400 bomb believed to contain a germ agent.

In answer to reporters’ questions, he said: “Full co-operation or a breakthrough? No, I don’t think you can say that. We have a very long list of disarmament issues and it will require a big effort in order to clarify all of those. I do not think I can say there is evidence of a fundamental decision (to disarm), but there is some evidence of some increased activity. There is certainly more activity now.”

Dr Blix’s remarks were his most critical of Iraq since he told the UN Security Council in January that Baghdad had not come to a “genuine acceptance” of the need to disarm.

Since then he has avoided language that could be seized on by hawks to justify declaring Iraq in violation of UN demands. Aides say he is equally concerned that his words are not over-interpreted by doves.

On Tuesday he made headlines by telling reporters that six Iraqi letters in recent days, outlining the discovery by Iraqi officials of a “biological-filled” R400 bomb at the al-Aziziyah base and dozens of pages of documents about weapons, contained “some elements that are positive which need to be explored further”.

But he made clear at a meeting later in the day with his advisory board, the College of Commissioners, that the Iraqi offerings fell short of the full co-operation he required, according to one person present. A source close to Dr Blix told The Times after the meeting that recent Iraqi concessions were “peanuts”.

Dr Blix has to issue his next report on Iraqi co-operation by Saturday. Aides say it will adhere scrupulously to the facts and avoid any “buzz words” in assessing the extent of Iraqi co-operation. One envoy who has seen the draft said it would not be black or white but “really grey”.

After the commissioners’ meeting, Yuri Fedotov, the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister who sits on the commission, said: “There has been some new pieces of progress on the substance, but we admit that Iraq must redouble its efforts in order to help resolve the outstanding issues. Still there are some problems in the substance.”

John Wolfe, the US representative on the advisory board, told the secret meeting that Iraq had to show a “strategic change of heart” to avoid military action.

Mohammed Aldouri, Iraq’s UN envoy, said that progress was being made: “With nuclear, we have nothing. The issue is closed. Also, with missiles, we have no problem; only the questions of anthrax and VX.”

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