Wary of the possibility of violence, the largest team of U.N. weapons experts dispatched to Iraq arrived Friday to hunt for long-range missiles suspected of being hidden by Saddam Hussein's government.
Saddam has stoked tension over the weapons teams by recently branding the U.N. inspectors "stray dogs" seeking to destroy Iraq. Some previous inspectors have been struck, hit with tomatoes, refused service in restaurants and showered with diesel fuel.The experts flew in from Bahrain, the regional headquarters for the U.N. Special Commission overseeing the elimination of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.
Tension over this latest inspection heated up over the United Nations' denial of an Iraqi request to postpone the visit until after the U.S. presidential election. The Iraqis said the team might provoke a confrontation to help President Bush's uphill effort to win re-election.
It was not known whether the team planned to visit any government ministry buildings, a source of conflict in the past. Baghdad portrays the ministries as a symbol of its sovereignty.
The experts did not receive the usual VIP treatment the government accorded earlier teams, and there were no porters to carry their suitcases at the Sheraton Hotel. A poster in the lobby showed blood dripping from the U.N. emblem, emphasizing Iraqi anger over trade sanctions imposed since the August 1990 invasion of Kuwait.
Late in the day, there was a noticeable increase in the number of Iraqi security police inside the hotel.
"At this moment everything looks fine," said Kevin St. Louis, the chief officer of the U.N. commission's Baghdad field office. "We are indeed taking all possible precautions to ensure safety of the team."
The 50 experts are members of the 45th team to visit Baghdad under terms of the cease-fire ending the 1991 Gulf War. They held several meetings Friday, and team leader Nikita Smidovich said inspections would begin early Saturday.
"We are here on a very important mission . . . we have a full program for about two weeks."