Iraq woos Clinton as US aircraft attack

The Clinton administration made no apologies for the raid, saying it was determined to follow the same policy pursued by George Bush to force Iraq to comply with all UN resolutions and to respect the no-fly zones. 'It's the American policy and we are going to stick with it,' Mr Clinton said before the start of his first cabinet meeting.

Iraq, while describing the raid as 'aggressive and provocative', nevertheless reiterated its 'commitment to the ceasefire'. Baghdad also denied Washington's version of the latest incident. 'The battery radar has not locked on any plane since the Iraqi announcement of a ceasefire on 20 January,' said a Foreign Ministry spokesman.

Before yesterday's raid, Baghdad newspapers printed editorials expressing the hope that the arrival of Mr Clinton would open a new page in bilateral relations. Babil, the newspaper run by Saddam Hussein's son Uday, broke all precedents by publishing a picture on its front page of Mr Clinton's inauguration, rather than the customary portrait of the Iraqi leader.

Iraq has also been courting Mr Clinton in deeds, by allowing in the UN weapons inspection teams after a dispute which led to the US attacks. Their advance party arrived in Baghdad yesterday without a hitch after they had been blocked from entering for two weeks by Baghdad.

The team includes logistical staff, communications specialists, helicopter crews, and a small group responsible for destroying chemical weapons at the Muthanna complex. Also among them are experts who can undertake aerial inspections. UN officials emphasised that they would do so only with agreement from the Iraqis, suggesting that some negotiation may be required.

In the past fortnight the Iraqi government has accused the weapons teams of being American spies and refused to guarantee their safety if they flew in from Bahrain. The UN team hoped that now President Saddam's government would turn over a new leaf. 'We are hoping for normalised relations with the Iraqis so that we can continue our work,' one said on arrival.