U.S. Warns Iraq: Don't 'Play Games'

In another warning to Saddam Hussein, U.S. officials said Thursday that Iraq must not "play games" with U.N. weapons inspectors and they disputed Iraq's claim not to have nuclear, chemical or biological weapons.

"I'll simply say that they do have weapons of mass destruction and the purpose of the U.N. resolution, of course, is for them to agree to allow inspectors in and to allow the inspectors to make some conclusions," Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said at a Pentagon news conference.

Meanwhile, Iraq's bitterly worded acceptance of U.N. demands that it disarm has failed to ease tensions with the Bush administration. Instead, the two sides are moving into position for a showdown.

To say that the U.S. is skeptical of Iraq's acceptance of the U.N. Security Council resolution would be to put in mildly, reports CBS News Correspondent Bill Plante. "We've heard this before," said a White House spokesman.

"I've never tried to predict what (Saddam) might do, but one thing I know he better not do, and that is play games," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said.

Added Secretary of State Colin Powell, during a trip to Canada: "I think what we're interested in seeing is a new spirit of cooperation, if there's going to be one, from Iraq."

Bush called Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar on Thursday and the two leaders "expressed full solidarity in demanding that the Iraqi regime disarm," McClellan said.

Meanwhile, an influential Iraqi newspaper on Thursday warned that despite Baghdad's acceptance of a U.N. resolution on weapons inspections, more trouble with the United States likely lies ahead.

In a letter to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, Iraq's foreign minister said his country is "prepared to receive the inspectors."

However, most of the letter's nine pages contained Iraq's complaints about the U.N. action, accusing President Bush of "most wicked slander against Iraq," calling British Prime Minister Tony Blair the president's "lackey," and nations which supported the new U.N. resolution a "gang of evil."

While Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri declared in the letter that Iraq would comply with the resolution in an effort to spare the Iraqi people harm, he warned inspectors that Iraq would watch their actions very closely.

"Dealing with the inspectors, the government of Iraq will...take into consideration their way of conduct, the intentions of those who are ill-intentioned among them and their improper approach in showing respect to the people's national dignity, their independence and security, and their country's security, independence, and sovereignty," the letter said.

In the letter, Sabri accused President Bush and Blair of fabricating "the biggest and most wicked slander against Iraq" by claiming that it had or was on its way to producing nuclear weapons and had already produced biological and chemical weapons.

Annan brushed off all the bombastic rhetoric in the letter, reports CBS News Correspondent Lou Miliano, suggesting the intended audience for all of that was the Iraqi people.

President Bush, signaling unabated impatience with Saddam Hussein, said he will not tolerate deception, denial or deceit as Iraq faces the series of deadlines imposed by the U.N. Security Council.

"The world expects Saddam Hussein to disarm for the sake of peace," Mr. Bush said with Annan at his side in the White House Oval Office.

Annan quickly concurred. The U.N. resolution that requires Iraq to disarm or be faced with serious consequences, "must be implemented," he said.

"I think the issue is not the acceptance, but performance on the ground," he said. "So let's let the inspectors go in, and I urge the Iraqis to cooperate with them, and to perform and I think that's the real test we are waiting for."

The schedule now calls for weapons inspectors to begin work by Dec. 23, but an advance team will be on the ground Monday. Annan said that will be the first test of Iraqi cooperation.

French foreign minister Dominique de Villepin Thursday said his country is now waiting for Iraq to "cooperate fully and completely with the United Nations," reports CBS News Correspondent Elaine Cobbe. He reminded the parliament that France has worked ceaselessly for unanimity in the Security Council so that the use of force would be a last resort.

The Babil newspaper, owned by President Saddam Hussein's eldest son Odai, also called on France, Russia and China to support Iraq in the dispute.

"After Iraq's positive stance, the Security Council members — especially Russia, France and China — should be aware that our problem and crisis with the United States is not over yet and may have just started," Babil said in a front in a front-page editorial.

In the past, the three veto-wielding U.N. Security Council members have differed with the United States on how best to deal with Iraq. If Iraq fails to fully cooperate with inspectors, the other two main powers on the council — the United States and Britain — have made clear they will attack the country.

Babil urged Russia, France and China to differentiate between Iraq, "which adopts a policy of peace, and a country (the United States) that adopts a cowboy policy."

The Iraqi letter, which one U.S. official called a "diatribe," included a sort of "by the way" paragraph at the very end, suggesting that Iraq intends to challenge the legality of the U.N. resolution. That won't surprise anyone at the White House, reports Plante. The administration fully expects some kind of delaying tactics — and the question is: how much will it tolerate?

At any point, failure by Iraq to comply with its obligations, and any false statements or omissions in the list, are to be reported by the inspectors to the Security Council.

Administration officials suggested that Iraq may already be flouting the spirit of the resolution, first by declaring Wednesday it has no weapons of mass destruction.

If Saddam continues to make that claim after the Dec. 8 deadline to declare his weapons program, he would be inviting war, U.S. officials said.

The United States will have a much smaller role this time than during the 1990s when Iraq accused U.N. inspectors of being American spies.

The weapons inspectors are all full-time U.N. employees, not experts on loan from the United States and other governments. Hans Blix, the head of the new U.N. inspection commission, has said the inspectors will not share information with U.S. intelligence agencies as previous U.N. teams did.