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UN arms inspectors left Iraq in 1998
Iraq has warned that it will not abide by any new resolutions adopted by the United Nations Security Council.
State radio said the decision had been made during a meeting involving President Saddam Hussein and senior officials.
This follows calls by US President George W Bush for a new UN resolution to set a deadline for Iraq to comply with outstanding UN demands, or face military force.
The Iraqi declaration comes as US forces commander Tommy Franks said his forces were ready for war.
"We are prepared to do whatever we are asked to do", General Franks told a news conference in Kuwait, but insisted Mr Bush had not taken a final decision.
According to US press reports, the Pentagon has given the president a set of military options for attacking Iraq.
The highly classified plans were presented in early September, just days before Mr Bush's speech to the UN General Assembly, the New York Times said, quoting unnamed officials.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri reads Saddam Hussein's letter to the UN
Under growing international pressure, Iraq announced on Monday it would accept the unconditional return of international weapons inspectors nearly four years after they left.
However the BBC's Caroline Hawley in Baghdad said Iraq made it clear it expected the UN in return to guarantee it would not face attack if they did come back, and that it also wanted light at the end of the tunnel over sanctions.
However the US believes the Iraqi offer to allow in weapons inspectors is a ploy.
'No headway'
"American officials are trying to issue or pass a new, bad resolution by the Security Council.
"Iraq announced that it will no cooperate with a new resolution which is difference to what was agreed with the (UN) Secretary General", Saturday's statement said.
The new Iraqi stand was taken at a meeting between Saddam Hussein and senior officials, including Foreign Minister Naji Sabri who has just returned from the UN.
Mr Bush is convinced Baghdad is developing weapons of mass destruction, and since he set out his policy on Iraq at the UN General Assembly in New York, world powers have been wrangling over how best to deal with Iraq.
The US has dismissed Iraq's decision to allow weapons inspectors back in as a move designed to split the Security Council.
The chief UN arms inspector, Hans Blix, hopes to have an advance party in Iraq by 15 October.
However US Secretary of State Colin Powell said Washington would find ways to stop weapons inspectors going back to Iraq unless there was a new Security Council resolution on the issue.
In a draft resolution to the US Congress on Thursday, President Bush asked lawmakers to authorise all necessary and appropriate means to ensure Iraqi compliance with UN resolutions.
"If the United Nations Security Council won't deal with the problem, the United States and some of our friends will," Mr Bush said.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2272624.stm
Iraq has warned that it will not abide by any new resolutions adopted by the United Nations Security Council.
State radio said the decision had been made during a meeting involving President Saddam Hussein and senior officials.
This follows calls by US President George W Bush for a new UN resolution to set a deadline for Iraq to comply with outstanding UN demands, or face military force.
The Iraqi declaration comes as US forces commander Tommy Franks said his forces were ready for war.
"We are prepared to do whatever we are asked to do", General Franks told a news conference in Kuwait, but insisted Mr Bush had not taken a final decision.
According to US press reports, the Pentagon has given the president a set of military options for attacking Iraq.
The highly classified plans were presented in early September, just days before Mr Bush's speech to the UN General Assembly, the New York Times said, quoting unnamed officials.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri reads Saddam Hussein's letter to the UN
Under growing international pressure, Iraq announced on Monday it would accept the unconditional return of international weapons inspectors nearly four years after they left.
However the BBC's Caroline Hawley in Baghdad said Iraq made it clear it expected the UN in return to guarantee it would not face attack if they did come back, and that it also wanted light at the end of the tunnel over sanctions.
However the US believes the Iraqi offer to allow in weapons inspectors is a ploy.
'No headway'
"American officials are trying to issue or pass a new, bad resolution by the Security Council.
"Iraq announced that it will no cooperate with a new resolution which is difference to what was agreed with the (UN) Secretary General", Saturday's statement said.
The new Iraqi stand was taken at a meeting between Saddam Hussein and senior officials, including Foreign Minister Naji Sabri who has just returned from the UN.
Mr Bush is convinced Baghdad is developing weapons of mass destruction, and since he set out his policy on Iraq at the UN General Assembly in New York, world powers have been wrangling over how best to deal with Iraq.
The US has dismissed Iraq's decision to allow weapons inspectors back in as a move designed to split the Security Council.
The chief UN arms inspector, Hans Blix, hopes to have an advance party in Iraq by 15 October.
However US Secretary of State Colin Powell said Washington would find ways to stop weapons inspectors going back to Iraq unless there was a new Security Council resolution on the issue.
In a draft resolution to the US Congress on Thursday, President Bush asked lawmakers to authorise all necessary and appropriate means to ensure Iraqi compliance with UN resolutions.
"If the United Nations Security Council won't deal with the problem, the United States and some of our friends will," Mr Bush said.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2272624.stm
