UN inspectors monitoring Presidential palace in Baghdad

The sixth day of the UN inspectors' work in Iraq saw the beginning of an unexpected visit to one of Saddam Hussein's palaces in the Baghdad district of Al Harsia.

The Al Sujud Palace is believed to be "the main state building" in Iraq. After a few minutes' conversation with the security guards, the palace's massive gates were opened and cars with IAEA inspectors drove to the territory of the palace. At the same time a group of UNMOVIC representatives drove into the palace through another gate.

A UN inspector's visit to Saddam Hussein's palace is the first serious test for Baghdad's readiness to cooperate with UN representatives in the framework of UN Security Council Resolution 1441, which Iraq considers "unfair and aggressive". So far, the Iraqi side has been rendering UN inspectors full assistance in their work, which, Iraq believes, they are doing well.