"Baghdad will keep offering its effective and transparent cooperation with UN weapons inspectors in efforts to ensure that the United States and Britain no longer have a pretext to launch aggression against Iraq," Khalaf said at a news conference.

The ambassador noted the United States was trying to use the inspectors' work as a pretext to start military action against Iraq.

"We are attempting to avoid war and will do everything possible so that it does not happen. As a diplomat, I say that a war will not take place," he said.

"The UN inspections of Iraqi facilities are currently proceeding in a good atmosphere and Iraq is offering its full cooperation to the inspectors, including when they worked in presidential palaces," Khalaf said.

The ambassador confirmed that Baghdad would submit a report about its weapons programs to the UN on Dec. 7.

"Tomorrow, we will submit the report to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, chief UN weapons inspector for Iraq Hans Blix and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head Mohamed El-Baradei, and demonstrate to the international community yet again that Iraqacts in compliance with international law," Khalaf said.

Khalaf did not say whether Baghdad would unequivocally deny possession of weapons of mass destruction in the report.

In keeping with UN Security Council Resolution 1441, Iraq has to submit before Dec. 8 a detailed report on its military programs, including those involving weapons of mass destruction.

Khalaf also reaffirmed Baghdad's intention to continue cooperation with Russian oil companies, ruling out for the meantime the possibility of allowing US and British oil companies to pump crude even after UN sanctions are lifted.

(Xinhua News Agency December 7, 2002)