The chief weapons inspectors of the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency arrive in Baghdad today confident that they can win concessions from the Iraqi government, but concerned that they may be offered too little, too late to prevent a war.
On the eve of a potentially decisive encounter between the inspectors - Dr Hans Blix, of the UN, and Dr Mohammed ElBaradei, of the IAEA - and Iraqi officials, there were unconfirmed reports that Baghdad was ready to permit overflights by American-piloted U2 spy planes.
The reports followed the first private UN interview with an Iraqi scientist - a biologist - on Thursday, which was seen as the first concrete Iraqi response to the presentation of evidence against the regime to the UN by the US Secretary of State, Mr Colin Powell, on Wednesday.
Private interviews with three more Iraqi scientists took place yesterday. The UN has a list of hundreds more Iraqi officials it wants to question. Dr Blix said it appeared that Iraq was making an effort, but he added: "We want to see a lot more this weekend."
Mr ElBaradei also emphasised the urgency of the need for Iraqi action, saying that he expected a "drastic change" in Baghdad's level of co-operation.
In Washington, President George Bush added to the pressure on Iraq by despatching air assault troops to the Gulf and calling on the UN Security Council to "make up its mind soon" on military action, or the US would sidestep the UN and launch an attack with a coalition of allies.
"If the Security Council were to allow a dictator to lie and deceive, the Security Council will be weak," Mr Bush said.
France's ambassador to Washington, Mr Jean-David Levitte, claimed yesterday that 10 or 11 of the 15 members of the Security Council would prefer to extend inspections rather than use force. "Saddam is in his box, and the box is now closed with the inspections," he said.
Britain has begun tentative discussions with other members of the Security Council on the possible wording of a new resolution after Friday's meeting with the inspectors, but is encountering resistance led by France, Russia and China.
A senior IAEA source said that perhaps the best co-operation Iraq could show would be to draw up legislation banning all programmes involving weapons of mass destruction.
"Baghdad has been obliged since September 2001 to pass this legislation, and it still hasn't even drawn it up," the source said. He added that if President Saddam Hussein met the inspectors, this "would no doubt help with scientists coming forward for \ interviews".
Tension in the US rose yesterday when the level of the terrorist threat was officially raised from yellow (elevated) to orange (high) in response to intelligence, mostly gathered in Europe, that an al-Qaeda attack was being planned against US targets, possibly using a chemical or biological weapon.
France, meanwhile, ratcheted up its opposition to a military intervention. Reacting to Mr Bush's warning that the "game is over" for the Iraqi leader, Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin pointedly switched to English during a visit in New Delhi to say: "It's not a game, it's not over."
Russia also put pressure on the US and British positions by saying that it would oppose a second UN resolution authorising the use of force against Baghdad should Iraq fail to disarm. - (Guardian Service, Reuters)