United Nations and Iraqi officials are meeting to discuss the return of weapons inspectors to Iraq for the first time in four years.

It is the first real test of Iraq's commitment to co-operation with the UN since it agreed to the inspectors' unconditional return.

Hans Blix: Would rather have clashes outside than in Iraq

The head of the UN inspections team, Hans Blix, aims to get Iraq's agreement on the practicalities of the inspections. He has indicated that access to suspect sites - including President Saddam Hussein's palaces - is a key issue on the agenda.

The talks, taking place in Vienna, come as the US and UK continue their diplomatic drive to win Security Council support for a new resolution, which would rewrite many of the ground rules of the inspections.

A British envoy is in Beijing to try to persuade the Chinese to back the resolution, but efforts to persuade Russia and France - who, like China, hold vetoes on the Security Council - appear to have had no success so far.

	:	Iraq Weapons
Iraqi chemical and biological weapons

The leaders of the UK and US - who accuse Iraq of developing weapons of mass destruction - issued further warnings at the weekend of the threat President Saddam poses.

But large anti-war demonstrations in several major cities indicated a large level of popular unease around the world about the US push for military intervention.

Practicalities

Mr Blix said he expected his teams to have unlimited access to sites in Iraq.

Visits to the large presidential palaces could prove a sticking point, but on this issue Mr Blix said he would refer back to an agreement struck by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan four years ago which laid out the provisions for visits to the palaces.

Vienna talks agenda

Access to sites Visas for inspectors Baghdad HQ renovation New bases in north and south Communicatins Transport Overflight permission

"We would like to ensure that if and when inspections come about, we will not have any clashes inside (Iraq). We would rather have these things outside, in advance," Mr Blix said.

Inspectors say they have to iron out practicalities before they can start the inspections process.

The talks will last two days and Mr Blix will report to the Security Council on Thursday.

"These are quite key for our inspectors to work. Without these issues settled it would be very difficult for them to operate," said Melissa Fleming, from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the organisation which will carry out inspections into the alleged Iraqi nuclear programme

We do not want to give carte blanche to military action, because we want to fully assume our responsibilities

French Foreign Minister

Inspectors from the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Committee (Unmovic) will search for biological, chemical and ballistic weapons.

Mr Blix wants an advance party in Iraq by 15 October but the draft resolution which Washington and London are expected to put forward this week could derail that.

"We have to take very much into consideration what is happening in the Security Council... whatever is decided there will have implications both in how we carry out our inspections and probably the timing," Ms Fleming told the BBC.

Diplomatic brick wall

The UK and US push to win approval for the draft resolution has run into opposition from the three other permanent members of the Security Council, Russia, France and China.

New resolution

Acceptance of resolution within seven days Declaration of arms programmes within 30 days Access for inspectors to all sites Armed guards to accompany inspectors Use of military force for any non-compliance

The draft, which was leaked at the weekend but has not yet been published, gives Iraq seven days to agree unconditionally to the terms of the resolution and 30 days to declare details of its weapons programmes.

William Ehrman, the UK Foreign Office deputy under-secretary for defence and international security, met senior officials at China's Foreign Ministry on Monday, as he tried to overcome China's scepticism about the resolution.

Last week, China's prime minister indicated he backed the French proposal for a two-stage process which would separate the questions of inspections and military response.

Anglo-American bombing raids in 'no-fly zones' create obstacles in the search for a political-diplomatic settlement

Russian Foreign Ministry statement

In an interview to be published on Tuesday, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin says his country did not want to give "carte blanche" to military action.

"We cannot accept a resolution authorising as of now the recourse to force without (the issue) coming back to the UN Security Council," he says.

Visits by UK and US envoys to Paris and Moscow at the weekend gave no indication that those countries' leaders have been swayed from their opposition to the resolution.

On Monday, Moscow also criticised the American and British air raids in the no-fly zones in north and south Iraq.

"Anglo-American bombing raids in 'no-fly zones' not only deepen the complicated atmosphere around Iraq but create obstacles in the search for a political-diplomatic settlement," a statement from the Russian foreign ministry said.