Iraq on Tuesday accused the United Nations' chief weapons inspector of bowing to U.S. pressure and scuppering talks on the return of arms experts to Baghdad. "It was very clear that America pushed the head of the inspection team, Mr. Hans Blix, to obstruct discussions and hinder a joint agreement," Foreign Minister Naji Sabri told reporters after returning from the talks in Vienna last week. (Read photo caption)

Blix, executive chairman of the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspections Commission (UNMOVIC), attended the two-day talks along with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

The sides failed to reach agreement on the return of arms inspectors, who left Iraq in December 1998 on the eve of a U.S.-British bombing campaign over Baghdad's refusal to cooperate fully with them.

Checking on Iraq's alleged efforts to build weapons of mass destruction is key to suspending U.N. sanctions imposed after Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, sparking the Gulf War.

Iraq wants the 12-year-old trade sanctions lifted before it allows the inspectors to return.

Sabri said Blix had refused to hold "meaningful discussions" on what had and had not been achieved during years of U.N. inspections in Iraq from May 1991.

"Without agreeing on what has not been achieved, we cannot go forward," he said.

"We were moving toward achieving a joint understanding and a common ground which would have led us to a comprehensive solution," he added, saying the whole effort was impeded by Blix.

Sabri also accused Washington of preventing the Security Council from answering questions he delivered to Annan during talks last May. The queries covered issues ranging from U.S. threats to impose a "regime change" on Baghdad to a timetable for the lifting of U.N. sanctions.

"The United States of America prevented the United Nations from answering our questions."

But he said Annan had promised him to raise these questions with the Security Council again.

President Bush said on Monday that Washington would use all tools at its disposal to oust President Saddam Hussein.

Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz rejected Bush's comments, saying the United States could not remove Saddam from power and his country was ready to defend itself against "American aggression."

Bush has branded Iraq part of an "axis of evil" along with Iran and North Korea.

PHOTO CAPTION

Mohammed El Baradei, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (L), U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan (C) and Hans Blix, Executive Chairman of the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission for Iraq (R) adress a news conference in Vienna Thursday July 5, 2002. The United Nations and Iraq failed to reach an accord on the return of arms inspectors to Baghdad after the third round of high-level talks this year between Annan and Iraq's Foreign Minister Naji Sabri. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger
- Jul 05 2:13 PM ET