Colin Powell
Slams proposal
Hans Blix
At talks today
Iraq says it hopes to resolve in the coming days a deadlock with UN weapons inspectors over surveillance flights by U-2 spy planes over its territory.
Presidential adviser General Amer al-Saadi told a news conference at the end of two days of talks with the chief UN weapons inspectors that Iraq hoped the matter could be resolved before Hans Blix makes his report to the Security Council on Friday.
UN chief weapons inspectors said they detected what might be a 'change of heart' in Baghdad's attitude to weapons inspections.
Mr Blix and Mohammed El Baradei were speaking after two days of crucial talks with Iraqi officials.
Iraq has handed over documents to the inspectors which - it is hoped - will answer questions left by Baghdad's much criticised weapons dossier.
Hopes for peaceful resolution
Meanwhile, Germany and Russia said today they hoped Iraq could be disarmed peacefully, with Moscow saying France, Germany, Russia and China were broadly in agreement.
The comments were made after the German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Berlin.
Earlier, the US Secretary of State dismissed a peace plan to be put to the United Nations Security Council by France, Germany and Russia.
The proposal envisages tripling the number of weapons inspectors in Iraq and sending in a United Nations force to protect them.
However, Colin Powell said the plan as a 'diversion' and that it misses the point.
