Former United Nations weapons inspector Scott Ritter will return to Iraq and meet with senior Iraqi officials over the weekend, CNN reported. According to CNN Ritter will also address the Iraqi national assembly, but it is unclear if he will meet with President Saddam Hussein. Ritter, 40, a former captain in the US Marines who was once dubbed a "cowboy" by UN staff and diplomats in Baghdad for his intrusive inspection procedures, resigned from the United Nations in August 1998, citing lack of UN and US support for his tough disarmament methods.

However over the past years Ritter has been critical of the harsh US policies towards Iraq.

Ritter, one of the main inspectors for the former UN disarmament commission in Iraq (UNSCOM), has called for UN sanctions slapped on Baghdad since the 1990/91 Gulf War to be lifted in return for the resumption of weapons inspections.

Ritter told CNN in a July interview that he opposed strikes against Iraq because "no one has substantiated the allegations that Iraq possesses weapons of mass destruction or is attempting to acquire weapons of mass destruction."

In 2000 Ritter traveled to Iraq while working on a documentary on disarmament and interviewed top Iraqi officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz and Oil Minister Amer Rashid.

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Former United Nations weapons inspector Scott Ritter will return to Iraq and meet with senior Iraqi officials over the weekend, CNN reported.