The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) welcomes the decision by Iraq to resume full co-operation with the IAEA and UN Special Commission.

The IAEA personnel, who were temporarily relocated to Bahrain on 11 November for safety concerns, are scheduled to return to Baghdad on Tuesday, 17 November. This group will immediately commence an intensive programme of facility inspections in order to re-establish continuity of knowledge of the status of Iraq's relevant technical assets. Additional IAEA personnel are planned to arrive in Baghdad later this week to participate in these initial activities and to continue with previously planned work, with the aim of full implementation of the IAEA's mandate in Iraq, including its right to full and free access.

The Director General hopes to be able to report to the UN Security Council in the near future that all the necessary IAEA activities are being carried out with the full co-operation of the Iraqi authorities.