U.N. Inspects 12 Iraq Sites but No Palaces

BAGHDAD — Weapons inspectors completed a fourth day of searches Tuesday at sites in and around the capital, as Iraqi and U.S. officials argued over whether the U.N. teams should be allowed to look inside President Saddam Hussein’s many presidential palaces.

The Iraqi News Agency reported that eight teams inspected 12 industrial, agricultural and oil sites, searching for biological, chemical and nuclear weaponry .

A U.N. spokesman said the teams reported no problems. Even so, U.S. Defense Secretary William S. Cohen on Tuesday accused Iraq of continuing to evade U.N. arms inspectors.

“If it is necessary to resort to force, I think you can be reasonably assured that it will not be a pinprick,” Cohen said.

He emphasized, however, that any attack on Iraq would be reserved “only as a last option.”

Cohen’s comments came as he released a report on the worldwide threat of proliferation of “NBC” (nuclear, biological and chemical) arms that said that more than 25 countries either have or are trying to develop them.

The report warned that while the threat of nuclear proliferation in former Soviet states had decreased, the potential worldwide threat from weapons of mass destruction is growing and includes terrorist and organized crime groups.