Bush meets top U.N. inspector on Iraq

Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix, right, and the International Atomic Energy Agency's Mohammed ElBaradei

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VIDEO President Bush and other top U.S. officials met with chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix to discuss disarming Iraq. CNN's John King reports (October 31 PLAY VIDEO SPECIAL REPORT •  War Tracker •  On the Scene Map •  Commanders: U.S. | Iraq •  Weapons: 3D Models •  Coalition casualties | POW/MIA •  Special Report

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush and other top U.S. officials met Wednesday with chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix to discuss disarming Iraq, but the White House said the success of weapons inspections lies with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

Bush told Blix, chairman of the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspections Commission, the United States wants to work with weapons inspectors "to make sure that they are able to carry out whatever the ultimate decision of the U.N. is," said White House press secretary Ari Fleischer.

"Probably nobody is more committed to peace than the inspectors," Fleischer said. "And they know that in order to secure the peace, they have to have the ability to do their job."

The United States accuses Iraq of having chemical and biological weapons and working to develop nuclear weapons in violation of U.N. resolutions dating back to the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

Bush has repeatedly warned that the United States would take military action to disarm Saddam if the United Nations does not.

Iraq denies the allegations and has invited U.N. weapons inspectors back for the first time since 1998.

Upon returning to New York, Blix said Bush told him the United States "would support us very thoroughly and very solidly."

Meanwhile, the U.N. Security Council showed signs Wednesday of possible progress toward a compromise on an Iraq resolution among the five veto-holding permanent members. (Full story)

Diplomats said the next council meeting on the resolution will be when the United States has a new draft resolution to present. A vote is not likely until next week.

The crucial sticking point between the United States and Britain on one side and France, Russia and China on the other is the reference to Iraq being in "material breach" of its obligations under the new resolution.

Blix and International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei told the council Monday they need unified support before resuming weapons inspections inside Iraq.

Blix said inspectors would not go back in before they have a new mandate from the council, and he said Iraq should know what awaits if it attempts to block inspectors' work.

"I think it is desirable that Iraq understands that any lack of cooperation or violation of the provisions of the resolution will call for reactions on the part of the council," he said.

The White House has cited those comments as an expression of support for its proposed resolution.

Blix said Wednesday he hoped the impasse in the Security Council could be resolved "within a few days' time." He said arrangements have been made to get inspectors back into Iraq within a week to 10 days of a council vote.

"We know exactly who is going to be there, and the advance team that I am going to lead," Blix said.

"And we know exactly who is coming there in the first group of inspectors coming there, and we will know pretty well who will be in the larger [group] that we will send weeks later."

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