Saddam again shows ability to throw sand in face of the UN

Saddam Hussein appeared last night to have staged his own pre-emptive strike against the United States, driving a debilitating diplomatic wedge between UN Security Council members with his 11th-hour offer on weapons inspections.

President Saddam's letter to the UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, allowing the inspectors unfettered access, at the very least guarantees a delay in any action by the 15-member council and may even avert UN authorisation of military force.

Although the full council met yesterday, there was no extensive discussion on Iraq. All the action was in the corridors outside as ministers from the big powers consulted each other and their capitals.

While Russia and France had appeared over recent days to heed America's call for concerted action against Iraq, the sudden change of stance by President Saddam gives both veto-holding countries cause once again to put some light between Washington and themselves. Both countries have long stressed the desire to see the stand-off resolved through political channels.

This is likely to slow progress in the council to reaching a consensus on a resolution. If President Saddam was trying to throw sand in the workings of the council, he has probably succeeded.

With his offer on the table for a resumption of inspections, it is far less likely that Moscow and Paris will yield to American demands that the resolution should include a threat of military retaliation if Iraq fails to comply. Indeed, the Russian Foreign Minister, Igor Ivanov, argued that there was no need for the council to act at all. France, meanwhile, said removing the weapons of mass destruction from Iraq was the priority, setting itself apart from the American wish to oust the regime. The Foreign Minister, Dominique de Villepin, said: "We have one goal, which is the fight against proliferation" of weapons of mass destruction.

Even before President Saddam's change of course, France had put itself at odds with the US, suggesting a two-step approach, with one resolution demanding Iraqi compliance, and the threat of force only included in a subsequent one.

Britain and the United States both continue to insist that the UN should forge ahead with a broad new resolution demanding action from Iraq on ridding itself of all weapons of mass destruction.

Both countries noted that there was still no guarantee President Saddam would stand by his words, and the Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, said Britain would continue to press for a strong resolution on Iraq.

American and British diplomats, worried that the Iraqi initiative was stalling momentum, were adamant that President Saddam had responded precisely because a new sense of resolve had started to emerge among council members. That followed a speech made by President George Bush to the United Nations General Assembly last week, in which he urged the UN to take action against Iraq and warned that if it failed to do so, American was prepared to act alone.

"This first choice by Iraq was made under very strong concerted international pressure," one diplomat said, "and it is pretty clear that the pressure is going to have to be maintained if Iraq is going to take steps two, three and four."

Those steps would include co-operating fully with the inspectors when they start their work and fully unveiling its weapons programmes.

Such is the conundrum now facing the council – which has a long history of divisions on its approach to Iraq – that it may not take up the issue of President Saddam's letter until the end of this week. Russian diplomats asked for any discussion to be delayed until after a meeting tomorrow between Mr Annan and the US Secretary of State, Colin Powell.