Iraq promised U.N. weapons experts more help Monday, saying it was even forming its own teams of inspectors to search for banned weapons. After two days of showdown talks with chief U.N. arms inspectors, held as U.S. and British leaders warned Iraq was on course for war, Baghdad's officials were eager to appear conciliatory. President Saddam Hussein's top adviser Amir al-Saadi read a joint statement at a news conference in Baghdad with visiting inspection chiefs Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei.

It said Iraq had handed more documents to inspectors, was clarifying others and was forming its own teams to search for suspicious items. U.N. inspectors discovered empty chemical warheads last week which Iraq had failed to report to the United Nations ; Iraq said it had "forgotten" about them.

The statement said Iraq would also encourage inspections of "private sites" -- an apparent reference to places like the homes of leading scientists -- and to "private interviews" -- referring to talks between U.N. inspectors and Iraqi technical experts without the presence of Iraqi government minders.

A cautious Blix said he was "fairly confident" Iraq would honor its pledges. "We have solved a number of practical issues, not all," he told the news conference.

ANTHRAX AND NERVE GAS

"On the substantive issues relating to anthrax, VX (nerve agent) and a number of Scud missiles, we have not discussed that. That is to be discussed some time in the future."

There was no mention in the statement of taking scientists outside Iraq for interviews, as Washington has demanded on the grounds that the interviewees need protection from reprisals.

The statement said Iraq would supplement a list of around 500 scientists involved in its past banned weapons programs.

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw of Britain, Washington's staunchest supporter on Iraq, said a November U.N. Security Council resolution, warning Iraq of "serious consequences" if it violates its obligations, authorized war.

"If there is evidence of a further material breach... (it) can only mean military action," Straw said.

Britain was expected to announce Monday the mobilization of 8,000 more troops to join the tens of thousands of U.S. troops already massed in the Gulf.

Washington Sunday issued one of its clearest warnings yet to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein that non-cooperation with U.N. inspectors could be deemed a trigger for a war in the absence of a "smoking gun," or hard evidence of weapons of mass destruction -- and that a decision could be just weeks away.

"The test is, is Saddam Hussein cooperating?" Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told Fox TV. "He's not doing that."
The U.N. inspectors were demanding quick answers from Iraq before they report to the Security Council on January 27 on Iraqi compliance.

"I think (the Iraqis) have said that there are still certain areas they are ready to provide more information. I think that in other areas they said they are ready to reconsider their position," ElBaradei told Reuters in an interview Sunday.

Teams of U.N. experts working in Iraq searched at least 10 suspect sites across Iraq Monday.

'FOUL INTERFERENCE'

An Iraqi newspaper Monday accused the inspectors of going beyond their remit to gather information "about all of Iraq's scientific and technological capabilities ... nothing to do with searching for weapons of mass destruction."

"There is direct, foul American interference in the affairs of the inspectors, continuous pressure from the American government," al-Thawra daily said.

President Bush's administration brushed aside anti-war protests by hundreds of thousands of people across the world at the weekend.

U.S. national security adviser Condoleezza Rice  told NBC television: "Clearly the 27th is an important date... (It) probably marks the start of a last phase of determining whether the Iraqis have fully complied."

France signaled Washington and London would have their work cut out to build international support, particularly if no concrete evidence emerged against Iraq.

"If the United States decide to intervene alone, we will have to say that that will happen outside of the international community," President Jacques Chirac told Le Figaro daily.

An Iraqi envoy dismissed the idea Saddam might be persuaded into exile to avert war. "Who appointed the idiot Bush as the world's police officer?" Ali Hassan al-Majeed said in Beirut.

"This is merely nonsense and one of the tactics of psychological warfare."

U.N. inspectors returned to Iraq in November after a four-year absence. Iraq denies having any chemical, biological or nuclear weapons or long-range missiles.

Saudi Arabia and Iran Sunday backed a Turkish plan to hold a regional summit this week to discuss ways to avert a war.

NATO  member Turkey said Thursday it had invited the leaders of Syria, Jordan, Iran, Egypt and Saudi Arabia to Ankara for the talks. Syria has offered to host a meeting of foreign ministers to help prepare for the summit.

PHOTO CAPTION

Amer al-Saadi, the science adviser of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein , right, and Fadel al-Janabi, head of the Iraqi Atomic Energy organization, left, listen to a speech by Chief United Nations  weapons inspector Hans Blix during talks between the U.N and Iraqi sides at the Foreign Ministry in Baghdad, Iraq, on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2003. The chief U.N. arms inspectors arrived in Baghdad Sunday for urgent talks with Iraqi officials, bearing a long list of questions about Iraq's weapons programs and a demandfor more 'active cooperation' from Saddam Hussein's government. (AP Photo/Hussein Mall