U.N. inspectors want unfettered access

VIENNA, Austria -- Opening talks with Iraqi experts Monday, the chief U.N. weapons inspector said he expected unfettered access to suspect sites if his teams return and full cooperation in the meantime to make that happen.\nChief inspector Hans Blix told reporters at the Vienna headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency that the talks would operate under the assumption that nothing in Iraq--including Saddam Hussein's palaces--will be off-limits to inspectors hunting for nuclear, biological and chemical weaponry.\n"The purpose of the talks is that if and when inspections come about, we will not have clashes inside" over what the inspectors will do, Blix said. "We'd rather go through these things outside in advance."\nIn the two days of discussions, both sides will discuss "practical arrangements" with the Iraqis for inspections, he said, such as where the inspectors would be based, their accommodations and security, and how samples would be taken out of the country for analysis. Blix said he would report back to the U.N. Security Council on Thursday.\nThe Iraqis were supposed to bring a backlog of reports listing items they possess that could have military purposes. The lists must disclose the locations and current uses for those items.\nBriefing journalists 2 1/2 hours into Monday's talks, chief IAEA spokesman Mark Gwozdecky called the atmosphere "businesslike" and said the discussions were "very thorough."\n"We're moving along nicely," he said. "They're all aware of the importance that there be no misunderstandings."\nIAEA spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said the success of a new weapons inspection mission would hinge on Saddam's promise of full cooperation.\nUnder a deal U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan cut with Baghdad in early 1998, the inspectors' access to eight so-called presidential sites encompassing a total of 12 square miles was restricted. The deal prevented them from carrying out surprise inspections at the sites, which include Saddam's palaces, and created a team of international diplomats to accompany inspectors when they did enter.