After five days of intensive work, UN arms experts claimed they had not found any evidence of biological, chemical or nuclear weapons programmes.

Then came the so-called biggest test of Iraqi cooperation for the inspection team.

On Tuesday, arms inspectors searched al-Sojoud palace, one of the several large compounds of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in Baghdad. The inspection, lasting 15 minutes short of two hours, was the first presidential palace inspection since the experts returned to the country.

UN inspectors have firm legal ground for their move since Resolution 1441, unanimously approved by UN Security Council members, says they are able to get unconditional and unrestricted access to any location. At the same time, the resolution also stresses the national sovereignty of Iraq should be respected.

With the ultimate goal of an objective and efficient inspection, the process should always be undertaken with the national dignity and feelings of the Iraqi people being taken into full account.

A country's presidential palace, which weighs heavily on national sovereignty and dignity, is by no means an ordinary site. So even with full authorization by the UN, any entrance should be made after careful deliberation and when it is deemed absolutely necessary.

The UN resolution, toughly negotiated by the international community, is meant to be a last chance for a diplomatic solution to the Iraq crisis - Iraq accepted it to avoid a strike by the United States.

And in such a situation, the significance of the arms inspection can be easily calculated.

Time is tight and the mission is tough, but hope is high for inspectors to conduct their work objectively and efficiently.

(China Daily December 5, 2002)