Ramadan announces Iraq's readiness to receive UN inspectors

Iraq's vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan has announced Baghdad's readiness to permit UN inspectors to get into Iraq but under the condition that they beforehand set the areas they will visit and to draw a timetable for this mission.

In a statement to the London- based al-Sharq al-Awsat issued on Monday, Ramadan deliberately denied news on the possible arrival of the opposition Afghani figure Qalb eddine Hikmatyar to Baghdad. He described these news as groundless.