UN arms experts used a hotline to top Iraqi officials to resolve a first inspections hitch today as they began seven day a week operations in a race to test Baghdad's arms inventory.
The inspections incident happened at a centre for communicable diseases which had never previously been visited by UN weapons experts.
Some three hours after the inspectors drew up at 9 a.m. Iraq's chief liaison General Hossam Mohamed Amin arrived to announce he had been summoned to deal with "a little problem."
"The hotline was used. We came straight away. There is no problem," he said happily when he emerged afterwards.
UN spokesman Hiro Ueki for his part told AFP the hitch occurred because the security guard with the keys was not there because it was Friday.
A UN official also sought to play down the first hitch in the inspections process since it resumed on November 27th after a four-year break.
"This a newly declared site, and we wanted to clarify the tagging procedure. That's all," the official said.
UN inspectors tag so-called dual-use equipment that can be used for civilian or military purposes so that it can be subjected to long-term monitoring.
At least two UN teams went out on the first Friday inspections, which came just a day after Iraq congratulated the UN mission for respecting its cultural sensitivities.
AFP