Chief U.N. arms inspector Hans Blix called new disarmament talks with Iraqi officials on Saturday "very substantial," as the United States rebuked European allies for their reluctance to back war on Baghdad. Blix and chief U.N. atomic expert Mohamed ElBaradei opened two days of talks in Baghdad as they prepared to present a fresh report to the U.N. Security Council next Friday that could start a countdown to war.

In Germany, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told a security conference the world was serious about disarming Baghdad. He rounded on France, Germany and Belgium for "inexcusable" stalling of NATO moves to help protect Turkey from any war in its neighbor Iraq.

Bush Appears to Prepare for War

In Washington, President Bush appeared to be preparing his nation for war in a radio address: "The United States, along with a growing coalition of nations, will take whatever action is necessary to defend ourselves and disarm the Iraqi regime."

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in a speech at William and Mary College in Virginia, warned Washington against striking Iraq on its own, saying collective action under a U.N. umbrella would have greater legitimacy and better odds of success.

In Baghdad, a U.N. source said Iraqi had handed over documents to Blix and ElBaradei during their first round of talks on Saturday.

"The Iraqi side gave us documents. We will work on them tonight and will discuss them tomorrow," the source said.

Blix and ElBaradei are in Baghdad for the first time since Secretary of State Colin Powell spelled out to the Security Council last Wednesday Washington's case against Iraq.

Blix categorized Saturday's talks as "very substantial."

ElBaradei said: "The Iraqi side is providing explanations on some of the issues. We have discussed the (U-2) surveillance flights, scientists' interviews as well as outstanding chemical, biological and missile issues."

They have warned Iraq it must take drastic steps to avert a U.S.-led war to rid it of alleged weapons of mass destruction.

Babel, Iraq's most influential newspaper, said Baghdad would do its best to make the visit a success.

"No One Wants War"

"No one wants war. War is never a first or an easy choice. But the risks of war need to be balanced against the risks of doing nothing while Iraq pursues weapons of mass destruction," Rumsfeld told the conference in the south German city of Munich.

"Clearly, momentum is building, momentum that sends a critically important message to the Iraqi regime -- about our seriousness of purpose and the world's determination that Iraq disarm.

"This is not months or years, this is days or weeks we're going to know whether they are going to cooperate," he said.

"He (Iraqi President Saddam Hussein)) has not been contained, he is successfully getting into that country darn near everything he wants."

Laying bare deep U.S.-European divisions over Iraq, Rumsfeld said NATO's failure to agree on planning defense measures for alliance member Turkey risked undermining NATO's credibility.

Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer of Germany, a firm opponent of war on Iraq, replied by insisting peace should be given a chance. He said Berlin stood by NATO obligations but wanted to wait until after the U.N. inspectors' report.

In Ankara, Prime Minister Abdullah Gul sought to ease concerns in Turkey about a war, saying it must be prepared if its close ally the United States struck neighboring Iraq.

Ankara has agreed to let U.S. engineers upgrade Turkish air bases and seaports ahead of a parliamentary vote on February 18 to open the facilities to U.S. forces in the event of war.

Polls Show Most Turks Oppose War

Opinion polls show four out of five Turks oppose a possible war on a fellow Muslim state.

Amid a huge U.S. military buildup in the Gulf, Bush has said he would welcome a new U.N. resolution after one in November that warned of serious consequences if Iraq failed to comply.

Diplomats said a new Security Council resolution seeking international legitimacy for war might not include a deadline for Saddam to comply, or explicitly authorize force.

Meanwhile, aircraft of a U.S. and British coalition attacked an Iraqi mobile air defense command and control facility Saturday in response to threats to coalition aircraft policing the southern "no-fly" zone, the U.S. military said.

The facility, near Al Kut, 95 miles southeast of Baghdad, was targeted with precision-guided weapons after Iraqi forces moved it into the zone, said U.S. Central Command, based in Tampa, Florida.

PHOTO CAPTION

Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix (R) and the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mohamed ElBaradei arrive at the al-Rashid hotel in Baghdad, February 8, 2003. REUTERS/Faleh Kheiber - Feb 08 6:33