Iraq has clearly breached UN Security Council resolutions and a deadline should be imposed for the readmission of weapons inspectors, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said on Friday.

There's complete unanimity about the imperative of getting the weapons inspectors back into Iraq

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw

Mr Straw was speaking as he emerged from a meeting with the foreign ministers of the four other permanent members of the Security Council at UN headquarters in New York.

He said the UK, the US, Russia, China and France agreed about the "patent, flagrant breach by Saddam Hussein of a series of United Nations Security Council resolutions with respect of weapons of mass destruction."

"There's also complete unanimity about the imperative of getting the weapons inspectors back into Iraq," he said.

"I think it's fair to say [there is] a very clear understanding that if we're going to set an imperative to get those weapons inspectors back, then that has to mean a time limit."

Iraqi minister has rejected unconditional inspections

But Iraq's deputy Prime Minister, Tariq Aziz, rejected demands for an unconditional return of inspectors. Mr Straw is set to reaffirm the necessity of inspections when he addresses the UN later on Saturday.

He will say the international community cannot "stand back and do nothing" about Saddam Hussein's refusal to comply with UN resolutions.

"We must require Iraq to readmit weapons inspectors with unfettered access," he will say.

"We have to be clear to Iraq and to ourselves about the consequences which will flow from the failure by Iraq to meet its obligations," he will say.

The speech was full of lies. Bush relied on the technique of deceiving the international community to turn world opinion against our country, Iraq

Iraq deputy Prime Minister, Tariq Aziz, on George Bush's address to UN

Mr Straw's comments on Friday come after a US President George W. Bush warned Iraq that an inspections deadline would be "days and weeks, not months and years" away.

Mr Bush told the UN General Assembly on Thursday that US action on Iraq would be "unavoidable" if Security Council resolutions are not enforced.

However, the US has gone on a determined offensive since then to persuade other Security Council members of the justice of its cause.

Permanent members can wield a veto vote on resolutions. To win approval for a resolution, the US needs at least nine "yes" votes, so it is also lobbying the other 10 temporary elected council members.