The head of the U.N. nuclear agency Mohammed ElBaradei said after a meeting with Iraqi officials in Baghdad Sunday that "constructive" disarmament talks were "making progress."
"We are having good constructive meetings," ElBaradei told reporters after he and chief U.N. inspector Hans Blix held two- and-a-half hours of talks with senior Iraqi officials Amir al- Saadi, President Saddam Hussein's scientific adviser, and General Hussam Mohammad Amin at the Iraqi Foreign Ministry.
"We are still going to meet tomorrow. We are making progress," he added.
Earlier, Blix said war in Iraq was not inevitable but Iraq should offer more cooperation and additional information.
"We don't think war is inevitable. We think the inspection process we are conducting is the peaceful alternative and it requires very active Iraqi cooperation," Blix said shortly after arriving in Baghdad with ElBaradei for the talks with Iraqi officials.
ElBaradei told reporters the timing of the visit was very important. "We like to see the inspections work. We need additional information," ElBaradei said. "We'll impress on the Iraqi side the importance of providing as much information as possible." (Albawaba.com)
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