Iraq says Britons must observe arms inspections

Iraq will agree to the return of UN arms inspectors provided they are accompanied by "neutral observers" including British religious leaders, union officials and the media, senior diplomatic sources said yesterday.

Baghdad is sending a letter to the UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, which is likely to demand that any observers ensure the inspections are not spying missions and that "doctored findings of weapons of mass destruction" are not used to justify a US attack, the sources said.

Iraq will also insist that a large proportion of the delegation comes from Europe, and that the UN does not let the Bush administration veto its composition.

The conditions will be seen as an attempt to split the Western allies. Iraq believes public opinion in Europe is now solidly against military action. But sources close to Mr Annan reacted warily to the offer, predicting it would not sit well with some on the Security Council. Diplomats also warned that no official word had come from Iraq.

Last month, Iraq invited Hans Blix, the chief UN weapons inspector, to visit Baghdad for talks but Mr Annan said Baghdad must first agree to the resumption of the inspections.

Condoleezza Rice, the US National Security Adviser, told the BBC yesterday that Saddam Hussein was "an evil man" and that there was a "very powerful moral case for regime change".