THE United Nations arms inspectors, dismayed by Iraqi stalling, are pressing Baghdad to show “pro-active co-operation” before their next report to the Security Council at the end of the month.

Hans Blix, the chief United Nations weapons inspector, and Mohamed Elbaradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, have told diplomats that they will push for greater Iraqi co-operation when they hold talks in Baghdad on January 19 and 20.

Iraq’s failure to provide hard evidence of its claims, to name scientists and encourage them to attend private interviews, could have dangerous consequences when the inspectors update the Security Council on January 27.

UN Resolution 1441, which sent the inspectors back to Iraq after a four-year absence, established a two-pronged test for a “material breach” by Iraq that could trigger war: a flawed arms declaration plus a demonstrable lack of co-operation with inspectors.

The inspectors have already deemed the 12,000-page arms declaration to be incomplete and are now raising concerns about the level of Iraqi co-operation. British and American diplomats argue that if Iraq’s lack of co-operation continues, the Security Council’s patience will run out.

At a closed-door briefing of the UN Security Council on Thursday, the chief inspectors made plain their frustration with Iraqi tactics.

Mr Elbaradei called for “the active co-operation of Iraq, not only in continuing to secure access to locations, but, importantly, in providing documentation, making available Iraqi personnel for interview and providing the IAEA with any physical evidence which would assist it in reaching its conclusions”.

Both men insisted that Iraq back up its claims to have eliminated all its programmes to make weapons of mass destruction.

Mr Elbaradei singled out Iraq’s failure to provide information about its nuclear weapons designs and its suspected centrifuge enrichment programme. He also expressed concern about the whereabouts of 32 tonnes of HMX high explosive removed from UN supervision during the inspectors’ absence, which could be used to trigger a nuclear device. Iraq has said it had blended the HMX with sulphur to make “industrial explosive”, mainly for mining — a claim the UN has yet to verify.

Dr Blix raised specific questions about the production of anthrax and VX nerve gas, the use of bacterial growth media that can be used to make biological weapons, and the illegal import of missile engines and missile fuel.

“A person accused of the illegal possession of weapons may, indeed, be acquitted for lack of evidence, but if a state, which has used such weapons, is to create confidence that it has no longer any prohibited weapons, it will need to present solid evidence or present remaining items for elimination under supervision,” Dr Blix said.

The chief inspectors also plan to press Iraq to allow the UN greater freedom in interviewing officials and scientists. The UN has raised the possibility of taking scientists out of the country for interview at UN offices in Cyprus. Lieutenant-General Hossam Mohammed Amin, head of Iraq’s National Monitoring Directorate, has insisted that “nobody is ready to go outside”.

Dr Blix said: “We cannot force any individual to go abroad or defect.” Nuclear inspection teams have interviewed two Iraqi scientists, but both insisted that an official “minder” be present. “We were not able to have interviews in Iraq in private. That doesn’t indicate the pro-active co-operation we expect from Iraq,” Mr Elbaradei said.

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