§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Prime Minister what discussions he had with the Government of Saudi Arabia on their policy towards the Iraqi nuclear weapons programme during his visit to Jeddah on 19 September.
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§ The Prime MinisterMy discussions with King Fahd covered a wide variety of issues on Iraq, and underscored the closeness of our policies towards that country.
We support the United Nations' Special Commission's efforts to eliminate Iraq's weapons of mass destruction capability, as called for in United Nations Security Council resolution 687. Although United Nations weapons inspectors have noted improved Iraqi co-operation, gaps remain in accounting for Iraq's past weapons programmes. For that reason, and to avoid placing unhelpful pressure on UNSCOM, I believe that it is crucial that the length of the probationary period for monitoring Iraqi compliance remain open-ended.