By Kim Ghattas in Baghdad

Iraqis will no doubt have breathed a sigh of relief when they woke up on Tuesday morning, and found out their country had accepted the unconditional return of weapons inspectors.

Naji Sabri: Faced growing pressure

The message of the Iraqi Foreign Minister, Naji Sabri, to the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, is the result of growing pressure on Baghdad.

Friends and foes alike have been calling on it to prove it has no weapons of mass destruction, and pre-empt US plans to attack.

For weeks now there had been resignation on the streets of Baghdad.

War seemed inevitable, but Iraqis have been through it all before.

They know a crisis can still occur at any time and lead to a bombing campaign.

A lot of people here are convinced the United States will continue looking for a pretext to attack Iraq.

But it does look like war has been averted, at least for now.